Fallen Angels
by CatLionsfire
Summary: Edward leaves Bella for Alice. She is once more broken, but she isn't alone this time. She has her vampire family. Set after Eclipse. The characters aren't mine.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Broken inside, but not dead yet.**

I woke up warm. Sounds normal for most people, however it was rather unsettling for me. I looked around for the cold arms that I was used to. I saw nothing. Perhaps Edward was off doing something important, it was just unusual for him to not be there when I woke up in the morning. I clambered out of bed and stumbled groggily to the bathroom.

I hopped into the shower, thinking about all the things I had to do today, wedding plans. Ugh. I love Alice, but all the preparation had been getting more tedious. I had every intention of finding some way to play hooky. Maybe I would ask Jasper to distract her…

When I stepped out of the shower, I looked in the mirror. I saw the face of a girl who was happy. Alice had insisted on various skin treatments, and they seemed to make my skin glow. I smiled and went upstairs to get dressed. I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, and slipped some sandals on. It was warm outside, but I knew better than to wear shorts to the Cullen household.

I smiled as I ran out of the house as fast as I dared, not wanting to start the day off with a tumble down the front steps. I jumped into my ancient truck, and headed out for my future home.

When I pulled up to the Cullen home, something seemed to embed itself into the pit of my stomach. The house suddenly seemed foreboding. I walked up to the door right as it opened. I felt wind as something with honey blonde hair whisked past me at vampire speed. I jumped, startled, then headed into the house looking for an explanation as to why Jasper would seem so angry.

The first thing I saw was Carlisle holding Esme as she sobbed. It was heartbreaking, even though she shed no tears. I took a hesitant step forward, "Esme… What's wrong?" I didn't really know how to react to seeing my normally cheerful future mother, so upset.

Carlisle looked at me, "Bella… We have bad news. Come sit down." As he said this he led Esme into the living room. Rosalie and Emmett were already in the room. Surprisingly, Rosalie moved over and gestured for me to sit with her. I looked around, hoping to see Alice, then move to sit with Rosalie.

Carlisle sat Esme down, and while keeping his arm wrapped around her, handed me a note. It was in Edward's beautiful script.

Bella,

I'm sorry to once again cause you so much pain. This is difficult for me to do, because I do love you. But you are not the woman that I am going to spend eternity with. A few weeks ago I realized that I had fallen in love with Alice. When I told her she confessed to having had several visions of her and I together, but she had kept them a secret because she did not wish to hurt you. She wants me to tell you that she loves you very much, and she is so sorry. We will return to Forks in a year, if we are still welcome. I the knowing that I am hurting you, but I see no other alternative. It would be easier now, as opposed to waiting until after you and I were married. Good luck my Bella, I do love you. I wish the best in the world for you.

Edward

I stared at the letter. I read it again, and then again once more just to be sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. I felt my chest freezing over. My lungs started to scream for air, but I refused to comply. I didn't want to breathe, to live, not without my Edward.

_Edward… _

That was my last thought before blacking out.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing, these wonderful characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

**Chapter 2: Bruised**

I woke up cold. It made me think that all my recent memories were just a dream.

But when I opened my eyes, I realized that it was Esme and Rosalie who were behind the distinct chill surrounding my body. Esme had me resting in her lap, whilst Rosalie was sitting beside my legs.

Esme looked down at me, "Oh Bella, honey, you are awake!" Rosalie looked at me with something akin to concern, it was mildly disconcerting. I looked from Rosalie, to Esme, then buried my face into Esme's shirt and started to sob. It hurt so much. Edward… My life, my love… How was I going to survive when I lost my reason for living? I cried and cried into Esme's shirt, ruining what I was sure was a ridiculously expensive blouse.

Through it all, she just held me. She rocked my gently letting me cry myself out. Soon my sobs quieted. Carlisle came into the room, "Bella, honey, you haven't eaten in over eighteen hours. You need to try and eat something." I became aware that my stomach was growling. I ignored it.

"I'm not hungry." I curled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I was trying, in vain, to hold myself together. The empty feeling was back. It was over for me. Soon, the rest of the Cullens would leave me too. They would want to be with Edward and Alice. I knew that they would leave me alone, just like before. But this time I wouldn't even have Jacob to hold me together.

"Bella!" The voice startled me out of my internal battle with the emptiness.

"J-Jasper?" I whispered. He looked, haunted. Like his entire world had come crashing down around him. His clothes were disheveled, and his hair had leaves in it.

"Bella, do you think so little of us?" Jasper whispered. "Do you think that we are going to leave you? Is that what I am sensing?" He looked at me expectantly. I nodded.

"Don't be ridiculous Bella!" Esme exclaimed, "You will remain a part of this family! You are still one of my daughters. We love you dearest Bella. We still want you to become a member of our family."

I looked at her, my mouth was probably hanging open. They still wanted me? Even though Edward was gone? "R-really?" I said between small sobs.

Carlisle answered for her, "Yes. I promised you immortality. We would be honored if you joined our family, despite what my eldest son has done." A pained look crossed his face as he thought of Edward. I knew my face must mirror his. "The Volturi would still be after you, even if they knew that Edward had… changed his mind."

At that I started to cry again, Esme pulled me close once more. Rosalie got up from the couch and went into the kitchen. Emmett came bounding into the living room from the kitchen. "Time to feed the munchkin!" He scooped me up, despite my attempts at a protest. He plopped me down in a chair. Rosalie put a plate with pancakes and bacon in front of me.

"Thank you… Rose." I tried to smile, but I think it came out as more of a grimace.

"Bella… My brother and sister did a terrible thing, I'm very sorry that they hurt you." She smiled at me, it was stunning. I had never seen her smile until that moment. She got up and followed Emmett out of the kitchen.

I wasn't allowed to be alone long though. Jasper sauntered in, his hair free of leaves and looking slightly more clean. Esme must have insisted that he wash. It hit me that he knew what I was feeling. I just looked at him, and tried to suppress the agony. I didn't want to make it any harder on him. He sat down across from me.

"I'm sorry Bella." He looked down, not meeting my eye.

"Why are you sorry Jasper?" I looked at him and I could see the same misery written all over his face that was clawing at my heart.

"Because Bella, I knew. I didn't know that they would do this, but I had been feeling changes around the two of them. I should have realized… It could have saved you from all this hurt… It could have saved us both."

I looked at him shocked, but I doubt for the reason he assumed. "Jasper, what would that have done? How would you pointing out the truth make it any easier to live with what they have done? It would have made it worse! Edw-Edward and Alice left us. They left us and ran away together! Don't feel guilty! Be Angry! I am!" I realized as I said it, I was mad. It was balled up in my stomach. My fiancé had left me for my married best friend. I was so angry that tears started falling once more. Then the agony and the and the anger overwhelmed me and I was reduced to a puddle of tears once more. My body was shaking with emotion. I felt guilty, knowing that I was hurting Jasper, but I couldn't contain it. I just curled up and let the pain have me.

Esme came in and scooped me up. She carried me to what appeared to be a guest bedroom. She laid me down in the bed. "Bella, sleep now. Sleep the pain away." I curled up in a ball and continued to cry. Esme sat there and stroked my hair until I had cried myself out once more.

When I was calm once again she sat me up, and handed me a glass of water. I dutifully drank it down. "Esme, what do I tell Charlie?"

"Tell him that you wish to go on vacation with us for awhile. We all will get away from here. Tell him you will be gone for several weeks. Maybe longer. While we are gone, if you still wish, Carlisle will turn you. When we return, we can say you are ill. That should buy us enough time to get you under control. Worry not darling, we'll protect you."

I drifted off to sleep, more calm knowing that even though I cannot have Edward, I can at least have the family I have always wanted.

**Okies everybody, please review. Let me know what you think. Tell me how long YOU think I should wait to have Bella and Jasper fall in love. I want them to both have time to mourn… I'll try and have another chapter up soon. Loves!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Just Breathe…**

I could hear beeping noises, and low curses. I didn't want to open my eyes and face reality just yet, so I just laid there. Everything flooded back, and it took everything I had not to spin into oblivion once more. Ed- No. I can't think his name, too painful. HE left me… With Alice, my best friend… Why? Was this fate's idea of a cruel joke? Giving me him back, only to take him once more?

The beeping seemed musical, it prompted me to open my eyes. There was Emmett, big brother extraordinaire. He was playing Pong. This caused something in me to stir, and a damn to break. I started laughing uncontrollably. I was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down my cheeks. The laughter then turned to real tears as I started sobbing. Emmett just watched, awestruck at my extremely odd mood shift.

Rosalie bolted into the room and wrapped her arms around me. I didn't process that this was Rosalie, who was not my biggest fan, I just took what comfort was being offered. I cried myself out once again.

Yet, as I curled up into the beautiful vampire next to me's side, I realized that the pain I was feeling, though excruciating, was bearable. When he left me _again_, the pain wasn't as intense, like I had been bracing myself for this all along. Somewhere inside I knew, _just knew_, that he would leave. He was always too good for me. But I refused to let myself wallow in self pity.

I sat up, much to Rosalie's surprise. She jerked back, and let me go. "I'm sorry Rosalie, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's quite alright Bella, are you okay?" she responded.

"Yes, actually I am. It hurts, but I can't help but feel like this was bound to happen. So despite the pain, I'm done crying. It won't do me any good. If he is happy, I will just deal, and stop crying all over you and the rest of the family."

Rosalie looked surprised, "Bella, your pain is understandable. No one here is judging you for being depressed, we certainly don't mind being handkerchiefs. That's what you do for family."

"Thank you Rosalie, but really, I meant what I said. I won't let him destroy me again."

I was then pulled into a tight hug, "I'm so proud of you Bella. He never deserved you, you know." Tentatively, I smiled at her. "Bella, I have been a bitch to you in the past, and I want to try and make up for it. I still don't like that you are willingly choosing this life, but if it's what you want, I will be proud to be your sister." Her smile was radiant and temporarily blinding.

"Thank you Rosalie, for everything." I whispered.

"Call me Rose, unless you wanting me calling you Isabella all the time," she said this with a grin. I shuddered at the thought.

"Alright, Rose." I smiled at her and turned to look at Emmett, who had remained strangely silent through the entire exchange. He was staring at us with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Yes! Go Wifey, makin friends with my little sis!"

"Emmett, what did I tell you about calling me 'Wifey'?" Rose said in a frighteningly calm tone.

As if called in on parental instinct, Carlisle and Esme walk into the room. Carlisle shoots a pointed look at Rose and Emmett, "You two, behave." They cast their eyes down, and attempted to look ashamed. "Bella, I need to talk to you about something," he almost looked nervous.

"What is it Carlisle?" I was curious as to what could cause him to be disgruntled.

"Bella, how do you feel about faking your own death? I believe it would be the best course of action at this point, giving you ample time to adjust to vampire life. It would also provide closure for your mortal family."

I looked at him, tears in my eyes. What he said made perfect sense, but it hurt to think about. It would hurt Charlie so bad, not to mention it would devastate Renee. My head was spinning, it was all too much. The hole in my chest throbbed, and I choked back a tearless sob. Esme wrapped her arms around me. She rocked me slowly, but it wasn't helping. I was on the verge of breaking.

Then out of nowhere, a wave of calm swept over me. I looked up to see Jasper standing in the door. He looked strained, and I immediately regretted my little breakdown, knowing it was only adding to the pain he must have felt.

"No Bella, it's okay. You seem to forget so easily, remember what I told you before, while we were keeping you safe from James? You are worth it." He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but give him a small smile. It was all I could manage, but he seemed to understand.

I took several deep breaths and looked at my family, then at Carlisle, "Alright Carlisle, let's do it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four: Death, Rebirth, and Chocolate Syrup**

The decision to fake my own death was the most difficult thing I have ever done. But like always, when I make up my mind, things get easier. It was almost easy to sit there and listen to them, deciding how to end my life. The calm façade I had put up, was almost easy to maintain. Jasper was the only one who saw right through it. He kept an eye on me throughout the entire conversation.

"The best way I can see is driving her truck off the cliff, that way we needn't worry about a body." This was Esme, she had one hand resting on top of mine as we all sat at the dining room table.

Carlisle smiled at her, "That does seem to be the best course of action, my dear. Bella? Your opinion? It is your death after all."

"If it will work, I really don't care, so long as my family doesn't think I killed myself. It has to look like an accident." This I needed to be adamant about. Though it will already nearly kill my parents, if it were to look like suicide they would never recover.

"That is completely acceptable darling, we understand." Esme smiled at me, and lightly squeezed my hand.

"I think I will just leave the details up to you, can I go lay down? I don't want to know till after though. I don't think I could handle…" I trailed off not quite knowing what to say.

I wandered out into Esme's garden, and after several deep breaths, I managed to refrain from crying. The whole in my chest gave a painful throb as I thought of my father and mother. My father would be all alone in the world, though the time he has spent with Sue Clearwater eased my mind some. Maybe that could eventually turn into something. Renee would be heartbroken, but inevitably she would survive. She had Phil to look after her. My train of thought was interrupted by a cool hand on my shoulder, "Mind if I joined you out here?" Jasper's slight southern drawl startled me.

"No, of course not… it's your house…" I had no clue what to say to him. Of all the Cullen's I was least familiar with Jasper. He was always there, present, but detached from family functions.

"It's your house now too Bella," He looked at me sternly, "You are apart of this family, we all love you and want to take care of you. I know you are worried about your parents, but we will work something out. Especially for Charlie. You don't have to be afraid. I promise." He stopped and looked rather distraught.

"What's wrong Jasper?"

He looked up at me quickly, "Nothing you did, I'm frustrated with myself. I told myself I wasn't going to make a speech." He grinned at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Jasper, I know we haven't spent much time together before, with _him _being so cautious but… Do you think we can be friends? I mean, I am your friend, I just… If you think you would be okay spending time with a human. Um, crap, I'm not doubting your control… please stop me from rambling!"

By the time I was done Jasper was shaking with contained mirth. It finally spilled out of him, as a wave of amusement flowed toward me. "Bella darlin, I would very much like being your friend. I think it would help us both… cope with the decisions our ex's made. I know how you are feeling and vice versa." He didn't manage this statement with a straight face.

I was blushing, "Ok… So, do you know where we are going? I know we can't exactly stay here."

"Montana, we have a ranch up there, it's my favorite of our houses. I think Esme was trying to make me feel better by choosing it. We haven't been in 30 years. It's in the middle of nowhere, so we won't have to worry about exposure."

"Montana huh? Should be… Interesting." I sat back and looked around, it was very late out. I could see the moon and so many stars. I had always loved the sky. "Did you know that when I was little, I used to sneak outside just to look up at the stars? Renee would have to come and put me back to bed. She used to tell me that the stars were angels, watching over me. Which is odd, because she was never really religious. I used to pretend I was one of them, fallen to earth to live out life as a human."

Jasper smiled at my musings. "Just wait till we get to Montana, I will take you to the highest spot on the ranch. The sky is so clear, it seems like you can see every single star."

I glanced one more time at the sky, and smiled, content. My life may be about to end, but at least I will have my family around me. "Thank you Jasper, I never told anyone about that particular childhood memory. I always thought people would find it silly. I guess it's because I never really fit in with people, humans anyway." I chuckled at my own silliness.

Jasper looked very serious, "Never feel bad about being different Bella, it's what makes you who you are. Maybe you never were supposed to fit in with humans, I believe you were always supposed to be a part of this family."

My eyes watered up at his last statement, I threw my arms around him. He tensed and I immediately let go. "Sorry, I forgot! I just felt so relieved."

"It's okay Bella, I was just startled." He smiled at me, "But I believe it is time to go inside. They are through with the arrangements, and Emmett is distressed because I am 'hogging the human'."

I laughed and stood up, promptly swaying due to improper foot placement. Jasper wrapped an arm around my waist and led me inside. Emmett barreled over and threw me over his shoulder. I was shrieking, while Jasper and Rose stood there laughing.

"Put your sister down Emmett dear, she needs to eat." Esme called from the kitchen. He did as he was told and ignored my glares as I stomped into the kitchen.

"Thanks Esme." I smiled timidly at my future mother.

"Not a problem darling, what would you like to eat?" she asked, gesturing towards the pantry.

"Actually, fruit sounds really good right now, so does chocolate milk." I had been craving it for awhile.

"Alright dear, I will cut up some fruit for you, do you want to make your own milk? The chocolate syrup is in the fridge."

I walked over to the refrigerator and opened it up. I took out the milk and chocolate syrup. I had started mixing them together when Emmett walked in.

"Whatcha doin'?" He looked like he was intent on causing trouble.

"I'm about to drink a glass of chocolate milk. Why?" I watched him carefully.

"Just curious, Rosie told me to pester someone else. Can I try that?" He pointed to the bottle of chocolate syrup.

"No you may not! Not after the last mess you made in the house when you tried human food." Esme put down a bowl full of chopped up fruit. "I have to go have a word with Carlisle. You behave mister." She gave him a stern look, while still smiling. "Enjoy Bella, I will be back in a few minutes if you need anything else." She left the room.

Faster than my eyes could follow Emmett grabbed the bottle. Instinctively I threw a piece of pineapple at him, to stop him from disobeying Esme. He looked at me shocked, "Is that how you wanna play baby sister?" I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He flipped open the bottle of chocolate sauce and squirted it all over me.

I was too shocked but to do the first thing that came to mind, throw more fruit. It turned into a full out battle. We were throwing fruit and he was squirting more chocolate on me. Finally I called a truce. When Esme walked back in the room we were calmly sitting down, while I used a strawberry to get some chocolate off my arm.

She looked around the room before turning a glare on both of us. "Emmett! I can't believe you!" She looked like she might tear him apart, so I did my best to save him.

"Umm, I started it. I will clean it up." I started picking up bits of fruit.

"Bella dear, Emmett will help. I imagine it was provoked." Emmett hung his head in shame, or something that resembled shame. It was enough to appease Esme. "Get the table clean then shower Bella, Emmett can get the rest."

"Yes ma'am." I smiled as I realized Emmett had chocolate covered cantaloupe in his hair.

Jasper chose that moment to walk in, "Nice hair Bella, chocolate suits you." I blushed a deep red. I quickly finished cleaning the table, and hurried up for my shower.

When I got back downstairs I saw Carlisle, Esme, Rose and Emmett all standing in the foyer. "Bella we need to hunt, Jasper went last night and is staying behind. We will be back first thing in the morning, will you be okay with that?" He looked concerned.

"That's fine Carlisle, I was planning on going to bed anyway. I hope you enjoy your hunt." There was a round of hugs, and be safes.

Jasper spoke up from behind me, "I will be in my study reading if you need me alright Bella?" I nodded at him.

"Goodnight Jasper." I scurried upstairs. I was extremely tired, I hadn't even been up long. But it had been a stressful few hours. Deciding to fake my own death, in addition hiding the fact that I was still barely maintaining my grasp on my sense of self. I curled up in bed and thoroughly wished that they hadn't left me alone in the house with the empath. I wanted to let myself wallow. Instead I gave myself over to sleep.

**A/N**: Two chapters in just a few weeks! I'm rather proud of myself. I want to thank all who reviewed. Continue to do so, it heartens me and encourages me to write more. Also, as a side note, if you are interested in being my beta for this story, please contact me. I need someone with a firm grasp on grammar and spelling, who will also critique my writing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Funerals, Fairies, and… Fishtail?**

The nightmare started out fairly normal. Strange, but isn't that normal in a dream? I was in a meadow, not Edward's meadow though. The light was so bright, I could smell magnolias. It reminded me of my grandmother. Finally my eyes adjusted. I could see my family. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rose, and Jasper. They were all sitting around on a picnic blanket, playing and laughing.

I ran forward to join them, not even tripping in my haste. The sky darkened, and they looked at me. It appeared as if they were looking at a complete stranger. Not their sister, or daughter. I saw Edward and Alice, hand in hand, call out for them to leave the strange girl alone and come back to the house. Everyone got up and left.

I ran after them, screaming, crying. But they never turned around. I was alone, in the dark. I sank to the forest floor and dissolved into tears.

"Bella! Please! Wake up!" Cold hands shook me, sweet breath ghosted over my face. I opened my tear filled eyes. "Oh thank the stars! Bella are you okay?" Jasper, voice thick with worry hovered over my bed.

"Jasper? You left. You all left!" I started sobbing. The pain in my chest at the thought of losing my family, like I had lost Edward was tearing me apart.

Jasper gasped, "Bella! Please! We haven't left. We will never leave you! I promise!" he looked pained. Guilt was immediately thrown into my emotional mix.

"I'm sorry Jasper! I'm so sorry. I can go…" I choked the words out.

"Bella, don't be ridiculous! This is your home!" He held out his arms and looked at me, afraid to scare me. I tentatively held up my arms as well. He scooped me up and hugged me, sending me wave after wave of calm. It was soothing to be held by cool arms again. Jasper smelled like summer, warmth, and happiness. If sunlight had a smell it would smell just like Jasper.

"Bella, do you want to talk about it?" he whispered quietly. I shook my head against his shoulder, and slowly detached myself from him.

"I-I think I'm okay now. Thank you." I tried to smile at him, but I'm sure it looked forced and very likely wet. I realized I had sweat through my clothes in addition to crying on them. I stood up and wiped my face off with a dry corner of the thick comforter that was on my bed. "Maybe I should shower…"

Jasper smiled at me, "Okay. There should be fresh towels in the bathroom. Esme left some spare clothing in the armoire over there. Would you like me to fix you something?"

"No thank you Jasper. Food doesn't sound appealing at the moment." The very thought made my stomach curl.

"Alright darlin, I will wait down the hall." With that said, he left. I grabbed up the yoga pants and tank top that Esme had left in the armoire, which seemed more like a dresser on steroids. It was full of comfy looking clothes that were simple and much to my taste.

The bathroom in the hallway was sumptuous. There was a large tub, that look magnificent. But I just wanted a simple shower, however, nothing in the Cullen house is simple. The shower had several heads and a place to sit, which made little sense in a vampire's house. Overall it seemed a bit too much. Starting up the shower, I stripped out of my sweaty clothing. I quickly revised my opinion of the shower, it was delicious. Warm water massaging my scalp calmed me greatly. I stood there, trying to let all the bad feelings go. Unfortunately my mind had other plans. I couldn't get the image of Jasper walking away without a second glance, or Esme looking right through me. I started to panic as the sadness swept through me like a storm.

Suddenly, calm and peace washed over me, as soothing as the shower. Jasper. Jasper was here, and he promised he would never leave, that no one would leave me. I managed to rinse of the remaining soap and get out of the shower. I toweled off and tossed on the clothing I had selected.

Outside the bathroom, sitting on the floor was Jasper. He was up in a flash, hugging me again. Strange how I go from hardly speaking two words to him, to weeping on and hugging him. Life certainly takes odd turns. I pulled away and smiled at him.

Downstairs a commotion could be heard. My family had returned, my smile grew and I took off to greet them. My excitement was so great, that it overruled my usual sense. I knew better than to barrel down a flight of stairs, happily I didn't trip till the bottom. Emmett swooped in to catch me, then swing me around in a hug. "Sleep well little sister? Did you miss me? Was Jasper nice?" He squeezed me one last time before putting me down.

"Well Emmett if you would let me talk!" I laughed at his enthusiasm. "I slept. Good might not be the correct word to describe it. Of course I missed you, and Jasper was very nice." Looking outside I realized it was mid-morning, later than I thought they would be. Rosalie looked sooty, moist, and pleased with herself, while Carlisle just looked mournful.

"Bella, it is done. Your car wrecked taking a turn to sharp and falling off a cliff. There is no way you could have survived. There was even a witness who saw it happen."

Carlisle studied me carefully. I felt detached, almost like they were discussing the weather, not my faked death.

"Does Charlie know yet?" The whisper was almost silent, but I knew they would hear. I felt so cold.

"Yes, we watched him at the scene." Esme looked like she was choking back sobs. I did the only thing I could. I ran into her arms, and lost it. I sobbed for Charlie. I cried for the pain he and Renee would endure. I raged against Edward, blaming him for my loss, and my parent's loss. I finally cried myself out, curled up in Esme's arms.

"Why didn't you calm her Jasper! She was crying so much!" it was Rosalie. They must have thought I was still too distraught.

"Because she has to grieve, she has to feel the loss now or it will only be worse." Jasper's voice sounded strained. I knew the emotional climate was getting to him. I sat up, realizing Esme must have moved me to the couch, never letting go of me.

"My beautiful daughter, I'm so sorry." Esme looked so heartbroken. I reached up and brushed away some the air in her eyes.

"Esme, Mom, I'm okay. Or at least, I am as close to okay as I am going to get for now. I know what you all did was necessary, it's just the finality of it hit me hard." I sat cross legged next to her on the couch. She beamed at me when I called her mom. Wanting her to continue being so happy, I said, "Mom, tell me a story? Something fanciful and silly."

Esme started telling me a story about fairies, and how a fairy fell in love with a flower. Eventually Emmett and Rosalie joined us. They sat cross legged like me, but on the floor. Listening to Esme, enraptured by her words. Jasper even stood in the room, leaning against the wall. The story ended, and it was a happy ending. I sighed wistfully, hoping that someday I get my happy ending.

We spent the rest of the day listening to Esme tell stories. At one point, Carlisle brought me a salad. Some stories made us laugh, some made us cry. All were pleasantly distracting.

Human needs made themselves known. I was also once again exhausted. I laid down on the couch, opting out of sleeping in bed. I felt Jasper sit down on the floor near my feet. I looked at him and saw he had a book. He smiled at me, "Bella, would you like me to help keep the nightmares away?" I nodded sleepily. "Sweet dreams little one."

The next day dawned bright, however it was blocked by a massive mountain of Emmett. "Wakey wakey lil' sis! We are going to have a game marathon!" I groaned and pulled the cover over my head.

"Go away Emmett!" I heard a soft chuckle. Jasper.

"Really Bella? You would turn down your siblings when all we want to do is play a game?" I heard footsteps, and a quiet '1, 2, 3' and then my covers were violently yanked off.

"Aargh!" I rolled off the couch. I spluttered a few creative words, telling them both where they could shove the game controllers.

"Bella!" Esme swooped into the room. She was wearing a simple black dress. "Language dear one."

Carlisle came into the room behind his wife, dressed in a black suit. It dawned on me , why they were dressed in this manner.

My funeral. Carlisle and Esme were going to my funeral. I guess it makes sense. Rose had mentioned the other day that Edward 'went to find his birth parents with Alice' which explains my reckless driving. So they obviously wouldn't attend. Whereas my siblings were supposed to be away at Dartmouth. Pain swelled in my chest, and Jasper came to sit with me. He didn't use his gift, for which I was grateful. He had been right the day before, I needed this. He rubbed circles on my back, it was calming.

Esme kissed my cheek, and Carlisle did the same before they left. I sat on the couch for a bit, just thinking and wishing I could see my parents one more time.

"Bella, would you like to go to your funeral? I mean we'd have to hide in the woods, but you could see Charlie and Renee one last time." Rose smiled down at me. I nodded and she swung me onto her back. It was odd, because I had never run with anyone but Edward. Rose wasn't as fast, and it was actually pleasant. I almost caught myself enjoying the run, then I remembered the destination.

Rosalie stopped just inside the woods. The congregation was fairly close to the tree line. I gasped quietly when I saw Charlie. He was so pale, Sue Clearwater stood next to him, her arm supporting him. I was glad he wasn't alone. Renee was in pieces, she was sobbing on Phil. I saw people from school, and around town. Forks may not have been a large town, but it seemed everyone had shown up for my funeral. I turned away, whispering my goodbye. Rose turned around and ran home.

When we got there, Emmett and Jasper were waiting. Rose ran and gave Emmett a hug, and I just stood there, feeling sad and awkward. Jasper came over and put a hand on my shoulder. "Would you like to play board games? I know it sounds ridiculous, but it'll distract you for awhile." That was precisely what we did. Everything from Monopoly, to Harry Potter Clue.

It did help, but the pain was still there. Emmett made jokes and Rose smacked him, all in good fun. We played and laughed, but all the while Jasper watched me. He knew I was faking. But I was trying. So all he did was watch.

After awhile, Carlisle and Esme came home. They seemed somber, but that changed when they saw us. Carlisle looked around at his family, and smiled. "Alright family, time to pack. The pain of losing someone we considered family was too much. We are moving to Fishtail."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Moving On**

Fishtail, population 78. Located just East of the Stillwater River, and a short distance to Cooney Reservoir State Park. It has a quaint little general store and is about the size of a city block. In short it was pretty darn perfect for us to have a house out here.

I stared out the window as we passed through town. I was riding with Carlisle and Esme in the moving van, whilst Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper rode in Emmett's Jeep. It was an executive decision by Carlisle that the "flashy" cars get left behind. The Ranch as Jasper called it was several miles outside of town, giving us plenty of privacy. I curled up in Esme's lap and shut my eyes, remembering the day we left Forks.

_Flashback_

"Bella, go upstairs!' Carlisle's tone was urgent.

"Why?" I was curious, and sleepy. I had taken to sleeping on the couch, for some reason it made me feel more secure.

Carlisle looked pained, "Because Charlie just pulled into the driveway."

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I raced to do as I was told. Rose was at the top of the stairs and pulled me into the first room, her bedroom. She left the door open a crack and we huddled just inside it. The knock on the door made me jump.

Carlisle immediately opened the door, "Charlie, hello. What can I do for you?"

I wanted to sob when I saw Charlie, he looked terrible. "Carlisle, it's good to see you. I needed to come by, I heard you were leaving town?"

Carlisle nodded, "You heard correctly, my family is very heartbroken. We felt the loss of Bella acutely as well. Esme and I viewed her as another child. We are both very sorry for your loss."

Charlie's voice cracked, "Thank you. I know she loved you all very much. Please take care of yourself."

Carlisle nodded, "You too Chief Swan, please let us know if we can do anything at all."

Charlie nodded and looked around, I wondered for a split second if he felt my presence here. Then he walked back to his cruiser, his head hanging. I felt the tears I was holding back spill. Poor Charlie, I wish this wasn't necessary. Rose just held me while I came undone. "Shh Bella, it'll be okay. It's gonna be alright." She rubbed my back and let me weep for Charlie, and all we've lost.

_End Flashback_

It felt like I had lost so much, my parents, my few human friends, Edward. Surprisingly the loss of Edward was the least painful. While my heart was broken, my head was slowly realizing that he and I were not meant to be. Our relationship was built on infatuation and curiosity, not real and lasting love. I looked up at Esme and Carlisle, they had a love of the ages. They didn't feel the need to prove their love with flashy signs of affection, it just simply was.

Whilst lost in my thoughts, I didn't feel the car stop. Esme gently shook me out of my musings. "Bella my darling, we are here." I smiled and stretched. Esme got out of the car and I was hot on her heels, stiff from being in the car for so long. I turned to get a good look at my new home.

I gasped. Ranch was a gross understatement. It was a log cabin on an intense round of steroids. The front was all huge windows and a large porch. It was right up on a pond that could easily be considered a lake. There was even a covered dock that went out into the water.

The jeep pulled in behind us, and everyone filed out.

"What do you think Bells?" Emmett sauntered up to me.

"It's gorgeous. I don't even know where to begin…"

Rose grinned, "Well the front door is a good place to start."

I blushed and nodded. Carlisle and Esme were already at the door, when I walked up Carlisle opened the door, "Welcome home Bella." I stopped dead in my tracks, stunned. This place was beautiful. Vaulted ceilings, lovely wood floors covered with thick rugs begging for you to curl up on them with a good book. The centerpiece of the entire room seemed to be a very large fireplace.

"Jeez Bells, outta the way!" Emmett tossed me over his shoulder, ignoring my spluttered protests. He put me down in front of the fireplace.

"Jasper dear, why don't you give Bella the tour while we unload the furniture and such?" Esme called from the door.

"Yes ma'am." Jasper replied with a smile at me. "Well Miss Bella, welcome to the Ranch. " He pulled me along down to various rooms, each as gorgeous as the last. "This house has eight bedroom suites, each with their own bathrooms. There are also two guest baths. This is the library, and through there is Carlisle's study. Without giving me much time to process the huge room filled with books he dragged me across the hall. "This room is yours," he said with a small smile.

It was pretty empty but for a bed and a dresser. Neither were much to my taste. It was a very large space and I even had a small fireplace. But my favorite feature was the large window seat. I smiled and ran over to it. From my window I could look out and see the lake and a wide open space before the land turned into craggy mountainous hills. It was beautiful.

"Hmmmm…" Jasper made a humming noise and I whipped around.

"What Jasper?"

"For a moment you were at peace, it was very nice." I really had no idea how to respond to that. It was a rather random thought. I settled on smiling at him.

Rose popped into the room, "Hey Bella! Tomorrow you and I are going shopping. The forcast is rainy all day, so we can head to the nearest mall and furniture stores. Esme wants to help you get your room put together." I groaned, shopping didn't sound fun. Rose laughed at me, "Trust me Bella, shopping with me is a very different experience, you won't hate it."

I looked at her and smiled, "Alright Rose."

She looked ecstatic, "Good, we'll be dragging Emmett and Jasper. We'll need their help."

I was already worried, but I really did need clothes of my own… Might as well accept it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Le Chat Noir**

I had the nightmare again. I saw them walking away, my family, abandoning me once again. I sobbed, my whole body shaking. It took me a whole second to realize that I was being shaken awake. "Bella! Bella! Wake up, please!" It was Esme.

"Mom?" I latched on to her, holding her as tight as I could. I was terrified that this was the dream and the nightmare was reality.

"Shh, baby. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you." She rocked me until my crying had abated. "Bella, my little one, what has you so scared?"

I sniffled and burrowed further into her embrace. While I loved Renee, and she did her best, she wasn't about to make Mother of the Year. She was too flighty, which meant _I _had to take care of _her_. I will always be grateful, because she helped shape me into who I am today, but with Esme it was very different. She loved me and took care of me. I was selfish enough to revel in that fact a little, but only a little.

"I'm scared mom. I feel like any second, you will all realize that I am worthless and that you would rather be around Alice and Edward. In my dream you all leave, it's like you don't even know me." I was fighting back _another_ round of tears.

"Bella baby, we love you. Not a single one of us can imagine our lives without you in them. You are family my dear." She wiped away my tears, and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Bella?" Carlisle startled me. "I was going to wait till tomorrow, but now seems like a good time. I have a few things for you." He walked into my room with a small box and some papers. First he handed me the papers. Esme shifted me to where I was sitting up, so that she could turn on a lamp by the bed.

I gasped when I saw the papers.

"Bella, Esme and I want you to be our daughter. That is a birth certificate, giving you the name Bella Cullen. It would honor us, more than you know, if you accepted. I know we can never replace Charlie and Renee, and we wouldn't want to. But we want you to know that we love you, and that you are precious to us."

I didn't know what to say. I was so shocked. They were inviting me into their family, giving me their name. I nodded and threw my arms around Carlisle's neck. "Thank you so much!" I reached over and hugged Esme too.

"Well Princess, since you are now a Cullen, you need this." He handed me the small wooden box. I took it, confused and very curious. When I opened the box and saw the contents, I felt the tears welling up again. "Now Princess, no tears. This is to show how much we love you." He took the small locket out of the box. It had the Cullen crest on it. He quickly draped it around my neck and fastened it. He opened it up to show me the inside. It had a tiny picture of Charlie and me sitting in our living room, and another of Renee and me outside our old house in Phoenix.

"Thank you. You don't know what this means to me. To have a small piece of each of them. I love it." I smiled at them, it was a little watery, but it felt right. Like I could be happy again.

Esme smiled and embraced me, "Bella, it is getting on in the morning. You should get ready for you shopping trip with Rose. I need to get started on your room! What color do you think?"

I slid out of bed, "I was thinking of that last night Mom. When I was little Renee took me to this amazing little theater. It was called Le Chat Noir. Ever since then I have loved musicals. There are a lot of really interesting things that I could do with a room themed for Le Chat Noir. I think the best color would be a parchment-like yellow, fairly dark.

"Lovely idea! Carlisle took me to a hotel in Paris with the same theme! It was splendid! I have lots of ideas now. I'm thinking dark hardwood accents and…"

She looked as if she could go on for quite some time. Thankfully, Carlisle stepped in, "Esme my love, Bella must get ready to go. It is already eight in the morning." He sent her an apologetic smile.

Esme returned his smile, and headed for the door. She started pulling him along, "Well then my dear I will just need your help if I wanna get this all done today!" Carlisle looked a little worried, but conceded to his wife. They left the room with her giving him detailed instructions on what needed to be done.

I smiled, poor Carlisle. Looking around my room I noticed that there were two doors that I hadn't even paid attention to the night before. But now with a full bladder and a strong desire to shower, I hopped up hoping that one led to a bathroom. I opened the first door to a large walk in closet that was completely bare. No dice. I tried the next door and, sweet success! A potty!

I relieved myself and stripped down to take a shower. The whole bathroom was very similar to the one I had used in Forks at the Cullen house. The shower even had multiple heads. I smiled, remembering the bliss from my last shower. I quickly started up the shower and hopped in. It was better than I remembered. Yum.

When I was finally done, I stepped out and wrapped up in a fluffy towel I saw hanging on the wall. I then realized my dilemma. My old clothes were pretty disgusting, but I didn't have a lot of options. I walked out to my room and saw a fresh set of clothes. I smiled making a mental note to thank Esme. It was a simple outfit, a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top. It made me happy to know that someone at least appreciated my taste. She also had set out a matching underwear set. White lace. Not as much what I usually wore, but oh well. I brushed out my hair and decided to let it air dry.

My stomach then felt the need to out its two cents in, so I went downstairs to see about breakfast. It took me a minute to remember how to get to the kitchen, happily I didn't run into anyone while I was lost, that would have been mortifying.

When at last I discovered the location of the kitchen, I found it occupied be Esme, Rose, and Jasper. "Good morning everyone."

Rose smiled in return and hugged me, "Good morning sis."

Jasper smiled too, "Mornin' Bella."

Esme set a bowl full of fruit down, "Good morning my dear, here is your breakfast. Remember today, that you are shopping for you. Please don't worry about the cost of anything. We want to take care of you." She smiled at me.

"Yes mom, I will." I hugged her tight.

"Alright miss, eat your breakfast. I am going to get started. There is a lot to do. You call us if you have any questions at all." Esme bustled out of the room, humming.

I sat down and started in on my fruit. It was very tasty, however I had a hard time concentrating. It might have had something to do with Rose and Jasper watching me.

"Can I help you two with something?" The both had the decency to look slightly abashed.

"Sorry Bella, neither of us has really spent much time around you. Especially when you are eating. It's just interesting." Rose chuckled., "Besides, as soon as you are done, I am whisking you away. We only have today, the forecast is sunny for the rest of the week."

"Alright Rose, I'll hurry." I quickly shoveled more of the fruit down, ignoring the slightly weird stares. Really, it's just food. Silly vampires.

Not five minutes later I had been whisked away through the rain to Emmett's Jeep. He had been outside, and lunged for me when I walked up, "Yay! You are really my little sis now!"

He swung me around in a bear hug, "Emmett! Oxygen!"

Instantly I was on my ass, "Ooof! Emmett!" I gave him my worst glare, he wasn't phased in the slightest.

Jasper stuck his hand out, and hauled me up. I thanked him and he helped me climb into the backseat of the Jeep, then he climbed in beside me.

"So Bella, Le Chat Noir?" Jasper asked, a smile in his voice, "For some reason I never took you as a musical girl."

"It was one of Renee's 'things' for a week or two. It stuck with me I guess."

"So is it limited to just watching? Or do you like being on the stage?" he asked, watching me intently.

"Pah! With my clumsiness? No, plus I am way too shy to be up on a stage." The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

We kept the conversation flowing for the next hour and a half. Rose and Emmett would frequently chime in. We talked about musicals and plays, Rose even told me about going to Broadway to see several shows. Just hearing about got me excited, I hoped desperately to be able to go someday.

Finally we pulled up to a very, VERY large furniture warehouse. All of us filed in, and I was floored by just how much stuff they had crammed into this place.

"Bella, Emmett and I are going to look around for a bedroom set for our room. Jasper is going to walk with you, okay?" Rose barely waited for my affirmative before hustling off with Emmett.

"Well Bella, where do you want to start?" Jasper asked.

"What about you Jasper? don't you need anything?"

Jasper laughed, "Not really darlin'. My room is more of a study than a bedroom. I have no need for a bed, I make due with an ugly old couch. Can you keep a secret?" he asked conspiratorially. I nodded. "I only keep it to drive Esme crazy. It moves to all our houses with me. All I bring is that and my books."

"What about yours and Alice's things?" I slapped my hand across my mouth, stupid, stupid me!

A pained look flashed across his eyes, and I felt even worse.

Finally he spoke, it was very quiet, "I destroyed most of them. Emmett stopped me from tearing up my study. I was so furious. I didn't know what to do. It felt like my heart had been ripped out and torn apart. I wanted to leave, it hurt just to be there." He lowered hid head.

"I'm glad you stayed, don't get me wrong, but why?" I didn't want Jasper to be sad, and he looked so lost.

"Because of you Bella. I felt how much pain you were in. I knew you would understand. I thought if anyone could help me find who I am again, what I am supposed to do, it would be you. You lost Edward again, and Alice. She was your best friend, yet here you are, okay. I figure I could take a page out of your book, pick myself up by my bootstraps and move on." He looked me right in the eyes, with so much emotion, "Bella, it hurts. It hurts all the time. But I don't want to waste my life mourning something that I realize was never mine to begin with. I'm pissed at them, but I can't help but be thankful. Alice did bring me to my family. I'd still be a monster without her."

"Jasper, I'm not sure what to say. I guess that, I do understand to an extent. And, I promise to help you as best I can. I don't really know what I can do, but if you ever need me, I'll be there." I smiled, and opened my arms a little, asking permission to hug him. He held open his arms and I hugged him.

"Thank you Bella, so much." he whispered.

"What did you mean you would still be a monster? Were you talking about the time you spent in the south?"

Jasper nodded, "Edward gave you the abbreviated version when he told you about me. The real story is much more horrific. Someday, I will tell you."

"Promise?" I asked him.

"Promise." Jasper offered me his arm, "Well ma'am we have been lollygaggin for quite some time. You still need to get furniture."

I took his arm and we wandered around the store. It didn't take long for me to find something perfect. I let go of Jasper and ran forward to jump on the bed.

"This is perfect Jasper!" I laughed and rolled around. The bed was a large king size four poster bed. It was a very dark wood. The matching armoire was also lovely, with beautifully carved decorations. The set came with matching side tables. I fell in love with the whole thing. "I want this one!"

"Then it's yours Bella," Jasper said with a smile. He waved over a salesman and told him we wanted it. While he did I meandered over to a large red chair. It looked perfect to snuggle up in. Jasper saw me looking and gestured to the chair as well. The salesmen nodded and looked as though we had made his day.

The salesman waved me over, "Ma'am we also have a very nice desk that would go well with your purchases." He showed me, and I agreed. A desk would be useful, I would have to ask Esme and Carlisle about getting a computer. While Jasper took care of some paperwork, I also picked out some lamps, ad other frivolous things.

Rose and Emmett, joined us and we paid and left. Our things were going to be delivered in a few hours. Goodness knows how much extra that cost.

Our next stop was a mall. It wasn't that bad actually. Rose only went into stores I wanted to, and didn't force clothes I wouldn't like on me. We accumulated quite a few bags between the two of us. I needed an entire wardrobe. Shirts, pants, skirts, underwear, I had nothing. Rose made it as painless as possible. If I showed her something I liked she would comeback with similar styles. It only took two hours before we were done.

"You were right Rose, that was almost painless."

"I said I was sorry about the hanger thing, I didn't mean to jab you with it." Rose apologized, almost meekly.

"It's fine Rose, really." We were sitting in the food court of the mall, eating. Well, I was eating. They were watching. Emmett kept digging through some of our bags, before finally pulling out a lacy pair of red boy short underwear.

"AHA! Nice Rosie! Can't wait for you to model this for me!" Rose stifled back a giggle while I slapped my palm across my face, horribly embarrassed. This drew Jasper's attention and he looked at us questioningly.

"Uh… Emmett… Those are mine…" I was completely red in the face.

However, Emmett looked completely disgusted. He tossed them away from himself, onto an elderly couple's table. "That is so wrong Bella! You are my baby sister! You don't wear… stuff like that!"

The elderly lady very sweetly returned them, but she handed them to Jasper. I had until this point been unaware that I could _be_ this embarrassed. With a wink she said, "Here's your lady's unmentionables. They gave us quite a shock." She turned to walk away, "My husband really liked them, so I may get some for myself, what store did they come from?" I put my head down on the table to avoid more embarrassment, but not before seeing Emmett's face of pure horror. Rose informed the lady as to which store, and it's location in the mall.

When the lady had gone out of ear shot Rose smacked Emmett in the head. "Emmett you are such an idiot."

I groaned. Jasper was still holding the underwear, when he realized this he looked at them for a second before dropping it like it was a lit match. I'm pretty sure if he could he'd be blushing too.

Rose stuffed them back in the bag. "Let's go home, we have a long trip."

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. Don't get too excited now. Jasper only views her as a friend. For now.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**I own nothing but the plot...  
**

**Chapter 8: Drool, Stargazing, and a little Dysfunction…**

I fell asleep on the car ride home. It was shockingly peaceful to listen to Rose and Emmett bicker about silly things, while Jasper hummed an unfamiliar tune.

When I woke I realized the car had stopped moving and that I was being gently shaken awake. I had at some point laid down across the back seat with my head in Jasper's lap.

"Rise and shine darlin. Did you know you drool in your sleep?" Jasper chuckled.

"Ah!" I was mortified. I quickly wiped the spit from my face and saw some had pooled on his jeans. "I'm sorry Jasper!"

Emmett was laughing hysterically, "Way to go little sister! Marking Jasper with your spittle?" Rose bonked him on the head, though she too seemed amused at my predicament.

I leapt out of the car and stalked to the house. "You guys are so mean! I can't help it!" I heard more laughter behind me.

"Bella! Wait up!" Jasper was at my side in a flash. "You know we were playin' darlin." He gave me his best smile. I narrowed my eyes at him, not responding. "If I make you my famous enchiladas for dinner will you forgive me? We can even take them out to the cliffs that I told you about. I'll show you the lovely Montana sky."

The idea did sound incredibly appealing. So I smiled at him, "Fine."

I got another blindingly beautiful smile in return, "Good. You go check out your room, it should be nearly done. I'll go make dinner. It'll be about an hour." I nodded and smiled again. Between him and Rosalie it was amazing I didn't go blind by how attractive everyone was. I squashed my feelings of inadequacy before Jasper felt those too.

Esme called from the direction of my bedroom, "Bella dearest! Come see your room! I just put the finishing touches on it!"

I dashed to my room, excited to see what she had done. What I found was astounding. The centerpiece of the room was a humongous print of the classic Le Chat Noir poster. My bed was against the wall with black and red bedding that looked sumptuous, like you could fall into it. The walls were the perfect shade of dark yellow and the floors were a deep, dark brown.

I was surprised to see a brand new laptop on my desk, next to it an iHome with an iPod already connected to it. There was a bookshelf that was filled with some of my favorite books, as well as pictures of my parents and my new family tucked in the shelves. I was struck by how much thought went into my bedroom.

I turned to Esme, "Thank you so much! I threw myself at her so forcefully, that I was sure to have bruises. I didn't care at that point.

Esme let out a delighted little laugh, "Anything for you my dearest Bella! We want you to feel at home." She wrapped her arms around me, and hugged me tight. "Now, I heard your dinner plans, you should unpack your purchases, and be sure to wear a sweater! It gets chilly at night!"

"Yes mom, I will." She beamed at me and left the room.

All of my purchases were piled in the room, waiting for me to put them where I wanted them. I walked over to the iHome and turned it on. There was a lot of my favorite music already present on the device. I set it to playing the soundtracks to my favorite musicals, I thought it fitting.

I quickly put my clothes away in the closet and the armoire. I slid the few other small purchases like books, and lotions on their respective shelves. I adjusted a few small things in the room, and decided that I should get ready for my outing with Jasper.

I changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and pulled out a lovely button up jacket that was soft and luxurious. I hugged it close and sighed, though the day had been horribly embarrassing at times, I had a blast with my siblings. I was also really excited to spend more time with Jasper. He was a very calming presence, I felt at peace with him around. It was a new feeling for me.

"Bella, dinner is done! Hustle!" Jasper's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I laughed, "You should know better than to tell me to hurry Jasper Hale! I'll fall down if I go much faster!" I was headed towards the door when he met me, basket in hand.

"Actually my last name is Whitlock." Jasper said with a grin. "Jasper Eli Whitlock at your service ma'am." He said this with an over-exaggerated southern accent and a saucy wink.

"Very well, Mr. Whitlock!" I tried my best to sound like a breathy southern belle. "You shouldn't keep a lady waiting!" I stifled my giggles as Jasper grinned at me.

"You are a perpetually amusing human Miss Bella." He offered me his arm, "It is a bit of a walk, are you ready to go?"

"Certainly, lead the way good sir." I was still trying in vain to contain my mirth, but I took his arm.

Jasper, despite being burdened by the large basket and my arm, managed to bow in a rather courtly fashion. "Then let's be on our way."

"Be safe kids!" Esme called from somewhere in the house.

"Yeah! Double bag it!" Emmett called.

"Emmett!" Rose and Esme shouted at the same time.

Jasper looked horrified, "Let's go now, before he imparts any other wisdom on us."

When we were a good distance from the house, I looked over at Jasper.

"What did Emmett mean?" I asked quietly.

Jasper froze, which caused me to stumble slightly. "Ah… He was being incredibly crude. It was a reference to wearing two condoms." He said quietly.

"Oh!" I blushed head to toe.

"Just ignore him Bella." Jasper smiled at me, "We are almost there."

I looked around at the land around us, it was fairly sparse. However there were lots of wildflowers around. We walked to the edge of a rocky outcrop and Jasper laid down a blanket.

"You can explore a little Bella while I set up your dinner."

I pulled my sweater around me tight, "I think I'll stick close to you Jasper. What if there was a rabid bear out there or something?"

He chuckled at that and pulled out a few small containers. "Trust me Bella; I will protect you from any rabid bears."

I laughed and settled down on the blanket. He handed me a plate of delicious looking enchiladas and Mexican rice. I took a small bite. "These are delicious!" I started eating with gusto, having not eaten since the food court incident.

"I'm glad you like them. They were a family recipe. Normally you forget most of your human life. That recipe stuck with me, as well as memories of cooking with my mother and sisters."

"What else do you remember Jasper?" I was deeply curious about his past.

He leaned back and stretched out, propping himself up with his arms behind his back. "Very little. I remember climbing a tree outside my house and falling and breaking my arm. I remember my sister loved to sing, but I can't remember her voice. I remember being so excited to join up with the army to fight against the miserable yanks." He smiled over at me. "You eat too fast, be careful not to choke."

I stuck my tongue out at him, "People have been telling me that for years." But I tried to eat a little slower. "Will you tell me about when you were changed now?"

"I s'pose it wouldn't hurt." He sighed. "I was a monster Bella." He proceeded to tell me about meeting Maria and the subsequent years of servitude to her. He told me about training newborns, just to turn around and kill them when they were no longer useful. He described meeting his friend Peter, and then Charlotte, helping them escape. "They came back for me Bella, a few years later. They told me about the life they had been leading, away from war and violence. I left Maria and never looked back. Later I met Alice and she brought me to the Cullens. The rest, you already know. I am a killer Bella."

He was avoiding my gaze, and looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"Jasper, look at me." He did, but it was brief. So I crawled across the blanket. "I said look at me Jasper." I turned his head to face me. "You are not a monster."

"I can feel the disgust and the anger Bella. Don't lie to me." He jerked his head away.

He still would look at me, so I climbed into his lap. "I am disgusted with that bitch Maria! I am angry that anyone would be treated like that!" I wrapped my arms around him. "Jasper, you are the farthest thing from a monster. You are so brave and strong. You turned away from that life. You are my hero." I made sure to push as much pride, affection, and trust towards him as I could.

He finally looked at me, "Thank you Bella." He wrapped his arms around me and we sat there. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head, "We came out here to stargaze, if I remember correctly." He smiled down at me when I looked up at him.

"Mmhmm." I smiled back at him. He pulled me down so that I was still lying close to him. We looked up at the stars; I was marveled by how clear the sky was. It was beautiful here.

Jasper started to hum and I was soon lulled to sleep, feeling safe and content.

* * *

AN: Soon my pretties. I know it seemed romantic, but they really need time to get to know each other. I will update soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: How would you turn a vampire's hair purple?**

I think I woke up once while Jasper was taking me home. He was carrying me bridal style, tucked close to his chest. But I really can't be sure. When I woke up for real, I was tucked into my bed. I could see the first light of dawn creeping through the curtains.

I sighed and thought about the night before. Jasper really was a fascinating person. He had lived through so much; I hoped that one day he would see himself for the good man he is now.

I jumped out of bed and trotted over to turn on some music while I showered and got ready for the day. A slow jazz tune filled the room, and I turned on my wondrous shower. I glanced over at the huge garden tub, "You're next." I turned back to my shower, checking to make sure all my bath products I got the day before were where I wanted them.

I spent a good forty minutes in the shower, letting it relax all my tense muscles. A sudden vision of cold hands running up my sides had me jumping almost out of my skin. I felt heat rise in my cheeks. I never fantasized about Edward, and somehow I knew that it wasn't his hands that I had imagined on my body. I shook the thoughts from my head. Those thoughts were not appropriate, not at all. How can I be fantasizing about someone else when my heart was broken only a week ago?

After turning the shower to cold for a few moments, I stepped out and wrapped up in a towel. Careful not to slip and crack my skull on the tile floor, I made my way back to my bedroom. I opened my closet and stepped in, trying to find something to wear. I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in." I didn't raise my voice, it didn't seem necessary in this house. I heard the door open and I stepped out of the closet. There was Jasper, looking a little flustered.

"Yes Jasper?" I asked, not realizing I was only in a towel.

"Um, I was going to ask if you wanted to come swimming with us, because, uh…" I almost missed him looking me up and down, almost. "Well it will get too cold soon to go swimming and I thought you might enjoy it."

"Sure Jasper, I will throw on a swimsuit and meet you all out at the dock." I stepped back in the closet.

"You really want to swim, even though you just got out of the shower?" he asked.

I popped my head out of the closet with a chuckle, "It gives me an excuse to try the bathtub next." I dug out the cute midnight blue bikini Rose had talked me into. It was tasteful, while still gibing me a boost of confidence. I slid it on, and grabbed a tank top and shorts and pulled those on over my swim suit. I stepped out and grinned at Jasper, I noticed that the shorts he was wearing were swim trunks. "You ready?"

Jasper nodded and offered me his arm with a little bow. I laughed and took it. "You are the perpetual gentleman aren't you?"

"Well Bella, I was raised in a different time. When I was young we were taught to respect a woman, and treat her right."

"And here I thought chivalry was dead." I shot him a smirk.

He returned the smirk with one of his own, "Says the breather to the vampire."

I poked him in the ribs, which wouldn't really affect him, but it made me feel better. We chatted about the house as we walked to the dock. Emmett and Rose were already in the water, while Carlisle and Esme sat watching them and laughing.

I ran down the dock, only tripping once. I hugged Carlisle and Esme, "Morning Mom, Morning Dad!"

"Good morning Bella dear. Sleep well?" Esme asked.

"Of course I did! That bed was heavenly!" I saw that they had brought some muffins and juice down for me. I sat down and grabbed a muffin.

"Well I am glad you are settling so quickly." Carlisle had the newspaper out and was doing the crossword. The whole thing felt very domestic.

I listened to my parents chat as I watched my siblings try and taunt Jasper into getting into the water.

"Come on Jasper! We don't care! Just get in the water!" Rose splashed at him, earning a reprimand from Esme.

"What is she talking about Jasper?" I asked, after swallowing my bite of muffin.

"Remember how I told you about my time in the south?" I nodded. "Well I have a lot of scars. They make some people nervous."

"They made Alice and Edward nervous. None of us care, let it go Jasper." Rose sounded a little exasperated.

He sighed and pulled off his shirt, and I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but his scars were certainly not the first thing that I noticed. He was a built man. He had the build of a jungle cat, all sleek muscle. When I finally did notice the scars, they were just faint crescent shaped marks all over his torso, neck, and arms.

I stood up and walked over to him. He looked as if he was holding his breath as I looked closer. When I touched his chest to trace some of the scars, he let out a sharp breath.

"I'm still not scared Jasper. These just prove what I already told you."

"Thank you Bella." He smiled at me, "Now if I have to get in, so do you."

I laughed, "Alright! Fine!" I shimmed out of my shorts, and pulled off my tank top. There was a slight chill in the air.

Emmett let out a wolf whistle, "Baby sis! Looks like I am going to have to beat the boys off you, huh?"

I chuckled, "Unlikely Em. But you're sweet."

Out of the blue, something cold and hard swept me up and jumped straight into the lake. If I thought it was chilly before, it had nothing on the lake.

"Ah!" I spluttered as I surfaced. "You are a dead man Jasper Whitlock!" When my eyes cleared a little I saw he was also in the water, laughing.

"We have been over this before little one, I am already dead." He swam away from me as I moved to jump on him.

"You slippery little vampire!" I shouted. He just splashed me. I decided to change tactics. "Em?" I turned the puppy eyes on full blast.

"Yeah Bells?" My big bear of a brother took the bait.

"Em! He is being mean to me!" I stuck out my bottom lip.

"That is cheating Bella!" Jasper started to swim away quickly.

"Don't worry baby Bells; I will defend your honor." Emmett took off after Jasper.

"That was clever." Rosalie swam up to me.

I smiled at her, "I do what I can."

She shot me a conspiratorial grin, "You know this will start a prank war between them?"

"Really?"

"Oh Yeah! Once Jasper crashed one of my cars, for two months he and Emmett would prank each other back and forth. Esme finally had to put an end to it when the nearly blew up the house."

"Oh dear, how did they nearly blow up the house?" I was a little concerned now.

"I think Emmett was trying to experiment with chemicals that would turn Jasper's hair purple. "

I laughed and looked over to where there was an immense amount of splashing and yelling.

"BELLA! Call him off! I'm sorry!" Jasper yelled.

"Oh you will be pretty boy! You should know better than to mess with my baby sister!" Emmett shoved him under water. Then, quite suddenly Emmett vanished under the water with a startled yelp.

Neither man resurfaced. After a few moments worry, I felt something brush my foot. I jerked, thinking it was a fish. Suddenly, Rose jolted up out of the water; she was sitting on Jasper's shoulders, laughing. I felt Emmett grab my leg, and realizing he was going to do the same thing, I started laughing too. I nearly fell off his shoulders as he surfaced.

"Let's decide this with a sibling versus sibling game of chicken." Emmett said.

"Whoa, this is so not fair! I'm only human!" I protested.

"Then Rose can only move at human speed and strength, fair?" Jasper asked.

I grumbled, "I guess so."

The boys shouted in unison, "Go!"

The battle was swift, because even with her handicap Rose was still more capable than I was. It ended abruptly when I slipped out of Emmett's grasp and plunged back into the chilly water.

"Yeah, we win!" Jasper and Rose were doing victory laps while Emmett was grumbling.

"I'm sorry Em." I whispered.

"It's okay Bella; we'll get them back when you are all vamped out. They won't know what hit them!"

I smiled at him. Deciding it was a bit to chilly in the water I headed for the ladder that would put me back on the dock. After I climbed out, Esme handed me a towel. "Thanks mom."

"Kids! I found something interesting in the paper." Carlisle got all of our attention.

"What is it pops?" Emmett asked.

"In a month there is going to be a county fair. It would be a good chance for us to get out and meet the locals. It is held in the evening, so we can go. Sound like fun?" There was a chorus of positive responses. "Well then it sounds like a plan."

We spent the rest of the day outside playing in the sun. I was often stuck by each of my family member's beauty when the sun would hit them. Esme got the blanket from last night and set it on the ground. She arranged a small lunch for me, while everyone else sat around with me and joked.

As the day drew to a close, I realized that at no point during the day did I think of Edward or Alice. I mean, when they were mentioned earlier, I was so focused on Jasper that I didn't notice. I spent several minutes thinking about them. I turned the taps on in my tub, letting it fill up with hot water.

Yes, it still hurt that they would betray us so much. But, I really couldn't begrudge them their happiness. But that didn't mean I wanted to see either of them for a long time. I figured it would be a very different story when I saw them together.

I sank into the tub, and wondered what I was going to do with the eternity I had been offered. I knew that it would be awhile before I could do anything, everyone had spoken in great detail about what my newborn years would be like. I suppressed a shiver; I was not looking forward to being an instinct driven, ravenous beast.

All too soon, the water cooled down. I climbed out and quickly dried off. I pulled on some yoga pants and a loose t-shirt. Exhausted, I climbed into bed. I silently wished for a nightmare free night, and closed my eyes.

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AN: I am on a writing kick. Thanks for all the reviews! They really help me feel like this story is going somewhere. This chapter is dedicated to my boy. He inspires me everyday.


	10. Chapter 10

**What is this? Another chapter? Indeed my lovelies. I own nothing but the plot. **

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**Chapter 10: Is That A Monkey?**

It seemed like time was flying by. Days of lounging around the house turned into weekend camping trips and overnight stays in Billings, which was the closet town with any semblance of something to do.

We had been at the Ranch for a month. I loved every minute that I got to spend with my family. Rose and I spent hours giggling and bonding over girly things. Emmett and I would have video game marathons that inevitably led to the destruction of a controller or a console. Esme and I spent time out in her gardens and greenhouses; she taught me so much about plants from all over the world. I usually spent at least an hour a day with Carlisle holed up in his study. We talked about everything from philosophy to my future plans.

However the time I cherished the most was my time with Jasper. He had quickly become my best friend. We spent hours talking, about everything and nothing. Sometimes we would just sit and enjoy one another's company in silence. Several times a week we would go out to our spot and watch the stars come out. These nights almost always ended in my falling asleep with my head on his chest.

The morning of the fair Rose came bounding into my room. "I got you a present!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and groan, instead I smiled. "What is it sister dear?"

She held out the boxes she had behind her back. "These are to wear tonight! They will go perfect with your denim skirt and a cute blouse!"

I eyed the boxes suspiciously. But I opened them slowly. The first box contained a cowboy hat. It was woven and artfully frayed around the edges, it was actually pretty cute. I plunked it on my head, and reached for the other box. I opened it to find a gorgeous pair of soft looking cowboy boots. I had never been the kind of girl to wear boots, or cowboy hats for that matter, but it did seem to be the garb for the area. Besides both of Rose's gifts were lovely.

"Thank you Rose!" My smile was genuine. I jumped of the bed to hug her.

"No problem sis. I imagine that your outfit will be a hit with my brother."

This time I did roll my eyes, "You are being ridiculous Rose. Jasper is nothing more than my best friend. You are obsessing." This had been my mantra lately. I had been nursing a teensy little crush on Jasper. It was something I kept very well hidden, especially around the empath.

Rose snorted, "Sure, whatever Bella. But I know my brother, he wants you. He is just too damn polite to throw you up against the wall and kiss you like he wants to."

I blushed furiously, "Why do you think I would even let him?" I challenged.

Rose eyed me, "Because I know my sister too. You would love to saddle that cowboy." I could tell she was being crude on purpose. I decided to ignore her accusations, however true they may be.

"Well thank you for my gifts Rose."

"You are welcome Sis." She sashayed out of the room looking quite content with herself.

I flopped back on my bed and let out a huge sigh.

Rose startled me when she poked her head back in my room, "So that means you wouldn't be excited if I told you that they're back." She smirked at me.

I leapt out of the bed with an excited squeal. Carlisle had taken the boys on a hunting trip. It was a male bonding thing, or something. Personally I figured Carlisle would come back with a headache. But I ran over to the mirror and checked my hair.

"Yeah, you don't care at all." Rose snickered.

"Hush." I ran past her and down the hall towards the front door, I got there just as it opened.

"Jasper, you're back!" I leapt into his arms.

He caught me and swung me around with a laugh, "You thought I could stay away from your charming self?" He hugged me tight, and then set me down.

"It was mostly torture listening to Rose whine about missing Emmett. Where is he by the way? And Carlisle?" I had to resist the urge to hug him again.

Jasper barked out a laugh, "Well Carlisle went straight to the greenhouse to see Esme; and Emmett, well he lost a bet."

I arched an eyebrow, "What did he have to do?" I was well aware of the bets the boys made. They often bordered on ridiculous.

"He had to eat skunk. It sprayed him and now he is swimming around in the lake trying to get the stink off." Jasper was laughing hard.

"Jasper Whitlock!" Rosalie hollered, "You didn't!"

I could see Jasper's attempt at looking ashamed of himself was a good effort, but it was ruined by the waves of amusement that the empath was putting off.

Rose sighed, "You are just lucky that we have tomato paste, or I would whip your ass. War vet, or not." She stabbed him in the chest with her finger then whirled away, but not before saying, "I'm glad you're back brother dear, Bella was really whiney about missing you."

Jasper grinned down at me, while I glared after Rose.

"So you missed me, huh darlin?" He asked, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

I consciously made sure not to lean into his touch, "Of course I missed you Jasper, you are my best friend." I thought I saw a flicker of hurt pass his features, but it was gone before I could really be sure.

"You are my best friend as well Bella." He dazzled me with his best smile, and stepped back. "I am going to shower, tonight should be fun."

Tonight? Oh, the county fair. I had forgotten. I watched him head towards his room and I decided to go and see Carlisle and welcome him home. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

_You don't want to do that, trust me. _The text was from an unknown number.

I sent a quick response, _Who is this? Alice?_

The response came quickly, _Hell no, and I don't like being compared to that tiny bitch. Just trust me __querida__, and go do something other than go to the greenhouse._

I glared at my phone. I knew I should tell someone about this, but everyone was busy. I stuck my phone in my pocket, intending to tell them all later. I decided to heed the advice of my mystery person and go shower and take a nap, I was sure that tonight would be a long night.

I napped first, spending the better part of the afternoon lounging around. When I showered I carefully shaved my legs. This was something I was always scared to do, especially in a house full of vamps. But the skirt Rose had suggested was pretty short and not something that was part of my usual comfort zone.

I got out of the shower and dried my hair, deciding to forgo make up. I didn't really like to mess with the stuff. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was already seven.

"Gah!" I hurried over to my closet and started throwing clothes out. I pulled out a cute little lacy black underwear set, and tossed them on my bed where the skirt and boots were already waiting. I was digging through my clothes to find a blouse when an evil idea struck me. I went over to my dresser and pulled out a t-shirt that I had "borrowed" from Jasper. It was an old ACDC concert from the "Back in Black" tour. I still couldn't believe he had been to that show. It was too small for him due to a laundry accident, but it fit me like a second skin. I pulled all my clothes on and sat down to pull on my new boots.

I really had to admire them, Rose had outdone herself. They were a light tan color with accents so dark brown, that they looked black. When I pulled them on they were a perfect fit. They came up most of my calf and stopped a few inches short of my knees. I stood up and walked around in them a bit. They were ridiculously comfortable. I gave a delighted little giggle, and reached for my hat.

I put my hat on and exited the room, heading for the main family room. When I got there I saw that most of my family was already ready to go. Carlisle and Esme were both dressed about as casually as I had ever seen them, while still looking like they belonged on the cover of magazines. Emmett was in jeans and a T-shirt, whereas Rose's out fit looked a bit like mine only, well showier. Instead of a t-shirt she wore a button up blouse that she had tied up to show her midriff and left several buttons undone at the top. She had a set of boots and a hat that looked pretty similar to mine. I smiled, happy to match her.

I looked around for Jasper, but he hadn't come down yet.

"Jasper! Get your sparkly ass down here!" Emmett hollered, "You take more time to get ready than a woman!"

"Language Emmett," Esme said in a tone that said she had said this thousands of times.

"Alright! Hold your horses!" Jasper came down the stairs at a human pace. It took all my self control not to drool. He was wearing some faded blue jeans and a black button down shirt. I snuck a peek and, yep, he was sporting some worn looking boots. I couldn't help but think of Rose's earlier comment about saddling. Quickly I pushed these traitorous thoughts from my mind. The last thing I needed was for him to pick up on any of my lust.

"Well kids, we'll take our car, will you be following in the Jeep?"

"We are Pops, don't worry." Emmett spanked Rose on the ass, "Let's go woman!" He shot Jasper and I a look, "Don't keep us waiting."

I nodded and looked back at Jasper as Carlisle and Esme also made their way to the garage. I grinned at Jasper, "Well don't you look handsome this evening?"

"I don't look nearly as good as you do darlin, nice shirt by the way." He said with a wink. He offered me his arm, "Would you give me the pleasure of accompanying me this evening ma'am?"

I giggled, amused by our usual game of over formality, "Certainly good sir!"

"Then let's go before we get left behind." Jasper walked me out to the garage and helped my up into the jeep. Rose gave me a pointed look that I ignored completely.

It was a thirty minute car ride to the fair grounds. Emmett insisted on playing old timey country music to 'get us in the mood'. I was feeling slightly murderous by the time we arrived at our destination. I practically dove out of the jeep to get away from Emmett's terrible singing.

Adjusting my outfit, I looked around. It seemed like everyone from the surrounding towns was here. There were hundred of people here. I felt Rose hook her arm through mine, and I was being dragged into the thick of things.

When Emmett came to claim his wife back, they wandered off. Carlisle and Esme also excused themselves to go talk to some people Esme recognized from the garden stores. This left me alone with Jasper.

"I hope you don't mind being stuck with me Bella." Jasper sidled up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "See anything that strikes your fancy?"

I had to resist the urge to tell him that I certainly did, and wrap myself around him. He smiled down at me when I hesitated, "Um, how about the rides over there?" I pointed at all the carnival rides that they had set up.

"Sounds like a plan darlin."

We headed to the ride called the 'Roundup'. Basically we were going to stand against a wall and be spun at high speeds. I was a little hesitant, but with Jasper's patient prodding we got in line. It took about ten minutes before we were led into the circular cage.

"Jasper, I don't see any restraints…" I looked around nervously; there were only little bars to separate the riders.

"Don't worry Bella, I'll protect you." He grinned and held out his hand. I clutched it tightly.

The ride started to spin slowly at first, then progressively faster till everything was a blur. My adrenaline spiked and I let out a laugh. The ride started to slow after a few minutes, and stopped. I was incredibly dizzy, while Jasper looked completely fine.

"See that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, watching me stumble around like a drunk. He tried to keep from laughing, but it proved impossible as a tripped over my feet for the fifth time and landed on my ass.

"Laugh it up you sparkly bastard." He helped me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me to steady my.

"Sorry darlin, it's just so cute to watch you stumble around."

I stuck my tongue out at him, "You are so lucky I am only human."

"I look forward to your retribution when we remedy that fact," he said with a wink. "Wanna go on the Super Slide next? I saw you eyeing it earlier."

"Yes! That is one of my favorite carnival rides!" I practically dragged him over there. When we made it through the crowd to the slide; the man operating the slide handed us some wax paper. We climbed to the top of the stairs.

"How do you want to slide down Jasper?"

He smiled and gestured for me to sit down, I did. He then surprised me by sitting right behind me and pulling me tight to his chest. I shivered.

"Ready?" He asked his mouth right by my ear.

I nodded, and he pushed us off. The ride down was exhilarating, and I couldn't help the happy laugh as we whizzed down the slide. When we hit the bottom, I dragged him back over so that we could slide again. We went down the giant slide about seven times before we saw Rose and Emmett beckoning us over to them.

We exited the carnival area and headed towards a huge tent as Rose told us about Emmett finding a stall where a man had a monkey who would do tricks. But when it saw Emmett is started throwing dirt and grass at him, making a huge racket. We all laughed at his misfortune.

When we entered the tent I noticed that it had a live band and a huge dance floor. I saw Carlisle and Esme over near the dance floor, chatting with some people I recognized as our neighbors from the next ranch over. They waved when we came in. Emmett immediately swept Rose out on the dance floor, and started dancing to the fast paced country song.

"Want something to drink Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, please. I think I am going to go say hi to Mom and Dad."

"Alright darlin, I'll bring it over to you."

I made my way over to my parents. I was stopped several times by men asking if I wanted to dance. I politely turned them down, telling them that I had two left feet.

"This is our daughter Bella." Carlisle introduced me to the man he was talking to. "Bella, this is James, and that is his son Kent." I smiled in greeting to both of them.

Kent gave me an appreciative once over, "Can I get you something sweet Miss Cullen?"

"Unnecessary, I have it covered." Jasper swooped up behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist and handing me my drink.

"Thank you anyways Kent." I said, slightly apologetically. I smiled at Jasper, "Thank you Jasper."

He gave me a tight smile in return. Kent shot a glare at Jasper, and I suppressed a sigh. Men.

"So Bella, how long have you guys lived here?" Kent seemed friendly, and it would be nice to have friends outside my family. Much as I loved them, they drove me a little crazy sometimes.

"About a month, you?"

"I was born and raised here. My family owns the horse ranch on the property adjacent to yours."

"Wow that is really neat. I love horses." It was something that Renee had always forbidden me. She had some weird fear of the animals. I thought they were magnificent.

"Do you ride?" Kent's eyes lit up.

"I wish, I have never had the opportunity to."

"Then you should come out to our stables sometime, I'd be happy to teach you." The idea was incredibly tempting.

"Maybe." I set my drink down and looked around. The music suddenly switched to a slow song that sounded familiar.

"Dance with me Bella?" Jasper whispered in my ear.

"You know how klutzy I am Jasper."

"I'll teach you, come on." He gave me the puppy eyes. I was a sucker for Jasper's puppy eyes.

"Fine, you bully."

He led me out on the dance floor, and swept me up into his arms. "Just follow my lead."

It was surprisingly easy. The song was an old favorite of Renee's. I started to hum as Jasper spun my around.

Jasper started to quietly sing to me, making my breath catch in my throat.

"_Mi corazón perdido en ti  
My heart is lost to you  
You have captured my love completely  
My heart is lost to you  
Oh my heart is lost to you_"

He pulled me close and kept singing.

"_Maybe it was the music  
The way it moved with your hair  
Or the heat of the moment  
That hung in the air  
But when I saw you there dancing  
Mesmerized by the gaze  
There was some kind of magic  
That led me away_

Mi corazón perdido en ti  
My heart is lost to you  
You have captured my love completely  
My heart is lost to you  
Oh my heart is lost to you

"

His voice was mesmerizing. When the song ended he carefully dipped me down and pulled me back up. I was having a hard time breathing, and when I managed to look back into Jasper's eyes, there was no mistaking the hungry look.

"Thank you for the dance Jasper." My voice was more strained than I really wanted it to be.

"Anytime darlin, anytime." He led me back towards where Carlisle and Esme were standing. "Anything else you wanted to do before leaving? I don't know how much longer we'll stay."

"Oh, I really wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel!" I had wanted to go on it from the moment we had arrived. It was massive.

"Hell yes! Rose and I will join you." Emmett and Rose joined us. As Rose sauntered up, she gave me a speculative look. I probably looked like a deer in the headlights. I really hoped she didn't say anything.

As we were headed out, Kent ran up to us. "Bella, here is my number if you want to learn to ride." He winked and walked off.

"He better mean horses Bella." Emmett looked after the guy with an evil glare.

"He does, down trigger." I stuck Kent's number in my pocket.

Jasper had a carefully blank look on his face when I looked at him. "You okay?" He nodded, and we all headed towards the Ferris Wheel. The cars were all two seaters, so Jasper and I climbed into one car and Rose and Emmett the one below us.

The ride started to spin for a few moments. I snuggled close to Jasper.

"Jasper?"

"Yes Bella?" He wrapped an arm around me.

"Thank you for spending time with me. I've had a lot of fun."

"I have too darlin. This is the most fun I have had in a very long time." He rested his chin on top of my head.

My phone vibrated. I checked the text message.

_You better tell him how you feel! –R _I choked a little.

I responded with, _Mind your own business! _

My phone vibrated again, as soon as I sent my reply to Rose.

_If you don't tell him now, you won't have a chance for a long time querida. And he is too stubborn to make the first move. _It was another text from my mystery person. I was a little worried about what they meant by that.

"You okay Bella?" Jasper looked down on me. The ride stopped while we were up at the very top. The view around us was gorgeous.

"How could I not be? It is so lovely up here!" I leaned out over the edge.

"Careful little one," Jasper pulled me back into the car. "You are right the view is incredible." He smiled at my enthusiasm.

I knew now was when I should tell him, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was scared he would turn me down. I just knew that our friendship would be awkward and messed up. I sighed and kept my mouth shut. The ride started spinning again, and soon it was time for us to exit.

We met up with Carlisle and Esme at the cars. I was dead on my feet. In between yawns I thanked them for letting us all come out here. On the ride home I fell asleep in Jasper's lap. I briefly woke as he carried me inside and up to my room. He took off my hat and boots and tucked me into the covers. He pressed a brief kiss to the top of my head, something he hadn't done since the first night out under the stars. I hummed with happiness, and drifted back to sleep.

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**AN: What do you think? Too soon? Please review. You should, especially since I worked my butt off to put out all these chapters, and this was an especially long one. Oh, and still looking for a beta. Thanks.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: To address a few things: In this I am rolling with Bella being 19. Jasper, is physically, 23. Therefore, she'll remain human for a little while longer. If anyone has any questions, leave them in the review. I will try and address them. Thanks.**

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**Chapter 11: Disturbing News on the Southern Front**

It had been a week since I had been woken up due to a nightmare. I had begun to hope that I wouldn't have them anymore. This one was particularly horrible.

I was walking through the Ranch house, it was completely dark. I thought that was odd because usually there was a light on somewhere.

"Esme?" There was no response.

"Rose?" I started to worry when she didn't holler back.

"Emmett? Carlisle?" Nothing.

"Hello?" I started to panic, and rush through the house. "Is anyone home?" None of the lights would turn on, I frantically flipped the switches.

I heard a soft chuckle behind me, "Jasper!" I would know that voice anywhere.

"Hello Bella." He stalked around me, moving away if I got too close.

"Jasper what is wrong? Where is everyone?" I reached out for him, wanting nothing more than for him to make everything okay.

"Why would I want to touch you?" Jasper hissed, shoving my hands away.

"What? But Jasper...?" I started to cry.

"Yes and here are the waterworks from the weak little human. This is why they left. No one wanted to deal with your pitiful self." He was still too far away for me to really see his face.

"Jasper why are you saying this to me? I thought I was your best friend?" I was sobbing now.

"Why would I want to be your friend? You are pathetic, even my pussy ass brother Edward didn't want you." I could hear the sneer in his voice.

"Please, just stop Jasper. I'm sorry, I'll be better." I fell to my knees.

"You are nothing to me Bella. The only thing you are good for is to be my next meal!" He reached down and pulled me up. He was finally close enough that I could see his eyes. His blood red eyes.

I screamed, "Jasper! No!"

Suddenly I was surrounded by cold arms. I struggled and flailed wildly. "Let me go! Get away from me you monster!" Instantly I was free, I back up, and fell off the bed. Tears were obscuring my vision. When I caught my breath I realized that I was now awake. I looked around saw Jasper. I couldn't help the little spike of fear that flashed through me.

"Jasper?" I took a hesitant step towards him.

He looked down, "I'm sorry Bella. I won't bother you anymore."

"No Jasper! Wait!" I ran towards him. He had already turned to go. I threw my arms around him, hugging him from behind. "Don't go!"

"Bella, it's okay. I don't blame you for thinking I am a monster. I know what I am." He tried to pull away from me, but it was a weak attempt.

"Jasper, stop! I was having a nightmare." I loosened my grip a little and tried to turn him around.

He turned to face me, "You called out for me, and as you woke up you called me a monster. There aren't a lot of explanations for that."

I took his face in my hands, and tilted it towards me. His eyes were a gorgeous gold. "Jasper, in my nightmare everyone left. You were there but you had red eyes. You told me I was only good for one thing, being a meal. You were going to kill me. That is why I screamed. But Jasper I know you would never hurt me. I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings." I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. He in turn wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I'm sorry Bella." He held me close.

"You did nothing wrong." I whispered.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you about my past. I don't want to add to your nightmares."

"Jasper, I am glad you told me. I am grateful to know so much about you."

"I would never hurt you Bella."

"I know Jasper." I yawned; it was still the middle of the night. "Jasper?"

"Yes Bella?"

"Will you stay with me tonight?" I knew it was probably a little inappropriate. But after that last nightmare, I couldn't bring myself to care.

"I will stay. Go get in bed little one."

I groggily walked over to the bed and climbed in. Jasper walked over and climbed in next to me, insulating me from his cold body using the comforter. He brushed my hair from my eyes and, started to hum. At first I was too scared to sleep. But eventually I was lulled back to sleep.

Just before I fell asleep I thought I heard Jasper say, "Don't worry little one I will always protect you."

I woke up cocooned in my thick down comforter, despite that; I was still a little chilly. I sat up quickly and looked around. Sitting up with his back against my headboard was Jasper. I smiled; happy he had stayed the whole night.

"Good mornin' sleepy head." Jasper held open his arms. I climbed into them. "Feel better darlin?" The concern was evident in his voice.

"Yes Jasper, thank you for staying with me and keeping the nightmares away."

"Anything for you little one." He chuckled, "Don't take this the wrong way, you look adorable, but your hair is sticking up in about sixteen different directions."

"Gah!" I leapt out of bed and bolted to the bathroom. He was right, it was a mess. I spent a few minutes trying to tame it. Finally it decided to behave.

I left the bathroom to find Jasper tugging my blankets up and adjusting my pillows. "Thanks for making my bed Jasper."

"No problem Bella." He tossed the last of the little decorative pillows on the bed.

I laughed, "Usually I don't even bother with those. Esme got them."

He chuckled, and excused himself to go back and get ready for the day. I decided that he had the right idea and showered and went about my human business. I dressed in warm clothes, because it looked a bit chilly out. There had been an Indian summer, but it was already mid October. Halloween was just around the corner. I wondered what we would do to celebrate.

I bounded out of the room in search of my mom. "Esme?"

"In the kitchen dear!" I heard her call out. I trotted into the kitchen, hoping that there would be something tasty for breakfast.

"Waffles!" I saw them as soon as I walked into the room. "You are the best Mom!" I grabbed my plate and headed for the table. "Hey mom?"

"Yes Bella?" Esme came and sat next to me.

"Are we going to do anything for Halloween? Like carve pumpkins, dress up, and decorate?" I really hoped she'd at least let us carve a few pumpkins. I had carved one with Charlie every year.

"Certainly Bella! I think I have a box of decorations around here somewhere. You and your siblings can go get some pumpkins today if you'd like."

"Yes! Thank you so much!" I jumped out of my chair and hugged her.

"Finish your breakfast, I will let everyone know." She kissed my forehead. "Oh, and Bella?" I looked up at her, but my mouth was full so I didn't say anything. "Thank you for being so good to Jasper. He has had a hard time. Carlisle and I both are happy you have taken a liking to each other. It seemed like you both had a lot of fun at the fair last night."

I nodded, still chewing. She smiled and walked out of the kitchen. I finished my breakfast and rinsed the dishes in the sink. As I finish Emmett came barreling into the kitchen. He caught me in a massive bear hug.

"Can't… Breathe… Em…" I managed to gasp out.

His grip loosened a little, "Thank you so much for talking mom into letting us carve pumpkins! She had banned us a few years ago." He set me down.

"Why did she ban you from carving pumpkins?" He looked down and shuffled his feet a little.

Right at that moment, Rose walked in. "Aside from the colossal mess that he and Jasper made throwing the pumpkin guts around? Em here carved some incredibly detailed and very explicit pictures into the pumpkins."

I laughed hard, while Emmett threw a kitchen towel at me.

We finished cleaning up and met Jasper out by the Jeep. He looked upset about something.

"Jas? What's wrong?" I walked up to him and he automatically opened up his arms. It was second nature to step into them.

"I got a troubling phone call from an old friend of mine. Remember when I told you about Peter and Charlotte?" I nodded. "Well apparently they were traveling in Texas and heard a rumor about Maria finally deciding to come after me. She wants to eliminate the family that has 'Kept me from her.'"

I looked up at him, horrified. "That bitch that turned you?" I wanted to growl.

"Yes. I really feel like I should go check on the situation." He looked down at me sadly.

"I don't want you to go!" I hugged him close.

"I know, I don't want to leave, but I want you and our family to be safe."

I grudgingly nodded, "I understand."

"I'll go with you bro." Emmett stepped forward.

Jasper nodded his assent. "I will be leaving in about an hour."

Emmett just nodded and pulled Rose back to the house, presumably to say goodbye in a thorough and loud manner. I sighed, deciding it was a good idea to stay clear of their room.

"When will you be home?" I asked, trying really hard not to sound whiney.

"I don't know Bella; it might take us a few weeks to track down a lead."

"But I wanted us all to be together for Halloween!" I was fighting back tears.

"I'm so sorry little one. I just need to make sure we will be safe. Promise me you will stay safe while I am gone?" The tears made an appearance, I nodded.

"Good." He wiped my tears away. "Don't worry about me Bella, I will be fine."

"Do you promise you'll come back?"

"I promise. Now, I have to go talk to Carlisle. I will find you again before I leave. Don't wander too far from the house." I nodded again, and after another squeeze he let me go and headed up to the house.

I headed down to the dock. I walked down to the end and sat down. I wrapped my arms around my knees. I realized that I was entirely too dependent on Jasper, especially since I had no claim on him. I didn't even bother to try and stop crying.

Finally I managed to get myself under control. I looked up and saw Emmett pulling the Jeep out of the garage. Jasper was walking down the dock towards me. I did my best to smile at him.

When he got to me he didn't even bother to ask, he just swept me up. "Please be safe Bella. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"I could say the same to you Jasper." I snuggled close, trying to memorize his comforting sunshine scent. "Come home soon, okay Jasper?"

"I will try darlin." I felt him kiss the top of my head, and it almost felt like he whispered something to me, but I didn't catch it. "Goodbye Bella. I will call you when I can."

"Goodbye Jasper."

In a flash he was off the dock and over to the Jeep with Emmett. I waved and waved as they drove away.

Rose came down the dock, "He'll be okay Bella."

"I hope you are right."

"I am. He is one of the most feared vampires in the world. Maria would be an idiot to piss him off." Rose flipped her hair. "Come on, we can still get pumpkins and carve them. It'll be nice having the house be quiet for awhile."

"Don't lie; I know how much you'll miss Em." I started back towards the house after her.

"Yeah, I will miss the big lug, but it'll just make the reunion all the more fun." She smirked at me.

"Good point."

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**AN: Please tell me what you think, I enjoy everyone's opinions.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Thanks to my new beta letsjustdance! Enjoy!  
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**Chapter 12: Pumpkin Guts  
**

Rose and I spent the rest of the day at the pumpkin patch. She managed to make me laugh, despite my constant worrying. We picked out about a dozen pumpkins in various shapes and sizes. She also grabbed some of the decorative squashes and stuff for Esme. All it took was her batting her eyelashes at some of the workers and they loaded them all up into the car on a tarp.

"Men are too easy," She laughed as we headed home. I smiled and settled down into the seat.

"So I am guessing you didn't tell Jasper how you feel then?" Rose glanced over at me.

I sighed, "No, I chickened out." I pulled my knees up in the seat and wrapped my arms around them.

"Bella you cannot tell me that you don't think he has feelings for you, too. I saw the way he was looking at you last night. Hell Emmett saw the way he was looking at you last night. I had to restrain him from beating Jasper up." Rose let out an exasperated sigh.

"Rose I was only with Edward for a little while. I mean, I loved him. I loved him with all my heart, but that can't compare to Jasper and Alice. They were together for what fifty years? That is a lifetime. It has been just over a month since they left. How can he be over that?"

Rose gave me a pointed look, "Are you over Edward?"

"For the most part, yes. He was my first love; I will always care about him. But I have thought a lot about how incompatible we were. In the end, we would have driven each other bonkers."

Without looking at me Rose responded, "If he had really been your mate, you wouldn't be able to say that. You wouldn't be sitting here now, with feelings for someone else. Much as I hate them right now, Edward and Alice do seem to fit together. I can understand their being mates. Maybe not what took them so long, nor the way they finally decided to tell everyone, but I do get it. So then Bella, if Jasper wasn't ever really Alice's mate, don't you think it would be a little easier to get over her? Especially if the real answer to his heart's call was right before his eyes?"

I looked at her, dumbstruck. She just smirked at me, "Think about it Bella."

We pulled up to the house and started unloading all the pumpkins. Esme came out to help.

"Carlisle has decided to volunteer at the local clinic." Esme said as she stacked six of the large pumpkins up and carried them to the porch. Rose grabbed another five. I was left carrying one measly little pumpkin.

"Wow, good for him. I knew he was getting ridiculously bored." I set my pumpkin down and sprawled out on the porch.

Esme smiled, "Yes, but I don't think he realized that he'd also be working with animals. You should have seen his face when he told me he had to do an emergency caesarian birthing for a cow."

I giggled, "Poor Dad."

Esme was chuckling as she went inside to get the tools we would need to carve the pumpkins. She brought out several knives for us, "Please be careful Bella." She handed me one of the carving knives, "Carlisle is a little far away to stitch you up."

"Yes mom." We decided that we would leave a few of the pumpkins un-carved, just in case the boys made it back in time. I carved one (The slightly wimpy one that I carried up and had gotten attached to.) to look just like a classical Jack-O-Lantern. Rose and Esme each did two, carving witches, black cats, and ghosts. We even had a little fight with the pumpkin guts, but Esme made us promise not to tell Emmett.

After the clean up I headed upstairs to take a shower. Rose caught me by the arm, "Think about what we discussed earlier." I nodded and she gave me a swift hug. I trudged upstairs and stripped off my pumpkin-covered clothing. My shower felt heavenly, as always, but it took me several washings to get all the mess out of my hair.

It was painful to think that Jasper wasn't in the room right across the hall, just a few steps away. I had gotten so used to just walking over to his study and joining him while he read Civil War text books and grumbled about the inaccuracies.

When I had gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed, I crept across the hall and into Jasper's study. He had given me free reign of his room, but I didn't want Rose to catch me and tease me some more. I went over to his closet and pulled out one of his t-shirts. Giving it a quick sniff, I sighed. I took the liberated shirt back to my room and climbed into bed. With his t-shirt on my pillow, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next few days were filled with a lot of listless wandering and thinking. Rose kept me distracted by dragging me into her room and teaching me some basic dance moves. It was fun, despite the bruises I acquired by falling down. Esme and I also spent a lot of time together; she recruited me to help decorate the house. She went at human speed so that I was able to keep up.

Three days after Jasper left, there was a ringing throughout the house, at first I was startled because I had never heard the noise before. Then I felt like an idiot when I realized that it was the doorbell.

A moment later, Esme's voice rang through the house. "Bella, you have a visitor!" This floored me, who the heck would be visiting me?

I hurried down the hall to see who my visitor was. Mystery solved, it was Kent. "Hiya Bella! Remember me?"

"Of course I do, you're Kent right?"

He nodded, "You never called, and I was in the area, I was wondering if you wanted to come by our stables today?"

I looked to Esme, who nodded encouragingly. "Sure, let me just go put on something warmer." I was in lounging clothes, since I really hadn't expected to leave the house today.

"Okay, my truck is out front. I'll wait outside." He smiled politely at Esme and excused himself.

Esme followed me up to my room, "Promise you'll be careful okay Bella?"

"Of course Mom!" I pulled on jeans and a warm sweater. Then I dug my boots out of the closet.

Esme sat down on the bed as I put them on, "Just remember honey, call if you need anything. We'll come and get you."

I smiled at her, "I will, don't worry."

She hugged me, "I am a mom, and it is my job to worry. But you know that Kent is pretty cute!" She gave me a wink.

I blushed, "I am not really interested in him Mom."

"Just promise me you won't keep your heart closed because of what Edward did."

"My heart isn't closed. I am just being cautious." I stood up and smiled at her. "I'll be home in a couple of hours Mom."

"Okay honey."

I headed out the door and met Kent in his truck. It looked strikingly similar to the one Charlie had given to me when I first moved to Forks. My breath caught for a moment, but it passed. I hoped my parents were doing okay.

"Ready to go Bella?" I nodded and he opened up the passenger door for me. What a gentleman, it made me miss Jasper. I climbed in and he shut the door for me. On the way to his farm we talked about horses and life on a horse ranch. I told him about my biological mom's fear of horses.

Kent laughed, "Horses are incredibly gentle creatures. But I guess I can see someone being afraid of them. So Mrs. Cullen isn't your real mom? I thought they looked a little young to have a daughter your age."

"The Cullen's are my foster family. We're all adopted." It was the story that we had decided on during the trip to Fishtail.

"Wow that is cool. It must be weird sharing a house will all those people though."

"Not really, I love all of my siblings and Carlisle and Esme are great. Rose is like a sister to me and Emmett is like the big brother I never had."

"What about that Jasper guy?" Kent tried for nonchalance, but failed.

I looked out the window, "Jasper is my best friend." I left out the part about being 90% sure that I was in love with him. It didn't seem appropriate.

"I know that voice. That is the 'I am in love with my best friend' voice." He laughed at me.

I spluttered, "Why would you say that?"

Kent just chuckled, "I have been using that tone since I was fifteen and one of our stable hand's daughters came to town. She and I hit it off right away."

"What happened with that?" I was genuinely curious if he thought that friends could make that leap.

His face got dark, and a little scary. "She ran off six months ago. She just disappeared off the face of the planet."

I had no idea what to say to that, "Oh. I'm really sorry."

"Well it is certainly not your fault Bella." He smiled over at me. "It was a long time ago, and I have moved on. I guess sometimes friends really can't become lovers."

I was quiet after that; I wondered what would cause his friend to run off. Montana wasn't so bad. I had really learned to love it. Maybe it was something to do with her family.

He and I chatted a bit more on the drive to his house. He told me about the basics of horse care, and other useful information. When we arrived there were several people working on various tasks. Kent waved at them all while keeping a possessive hand on the center of my back. I didn't much care for this, but since I didn't know my way around I let him keep his hand there.

Kent introduced me to several of the men and women before leading me into the stable. There we found an older woman, taking care of one of the most gorgeous horses I had ever seen.

"Bella, this is my mother, Evelyn. Mom, this is Bella. I met her at the fair the other night. She is Mr. and Mrs. Cullen's daughter."

Evelyn shook my hand, "It is lovely to meet you. May I introduce you to Thalia?" She gestured at the horse. "She is one of our youngest. She is incredibly gentle, that is why I suggested to Kent here that she be the one who teaches you to ride."

I was in awe of Thalia. She was tan with a pretty blonde mane and tail. She made a soft noise and nudged my hand, I gently started to pet her.

"See? She is quite taken with you already. I thought it might be a good match, she really needs a rider." Evelyn's smile was incredibly kind.

"Thank you for letting me ride her."

"The pleasure is all mine dear, if you need me I will be back at the main house." She turned to Kent, "Make sure you invite her and her family to our annual Halloween Bash!" She smiled at me again and left.

"What Halloween Bash?" I looked to Kent.

He held out a couple of sugar cubes for me to give to Thalia. "It is a huge party that my family throws every year. You really should bring your family. It is a blast, there are costumes and dancing."

"I would love to come, and I am sure my family would, too. But I am not sure if Emmett or Jasper will be back by then." I tried not to sound too miserable when I remembered this fact.

"What a shame, but you'll come right?" He looked excited.

"I will try; I guess Rosalie and I will have to go costume shopping."

"Wonderful!"

Kent spent the next couple of hours showing me the ropes. He taught me how to brush Thalia and check her for burrs or other things that would bother her.

"Since it is getting dark, we won't have time to ride today. But if you come back tomorrow, we can." He looked at me eagerly. I nodded. I was having a lot of fun.

After one last nuzzle from Thalia, Kent drove me home. We decided that I would come over after lunch time and spent the afternoon learning to ride. I was really glad to make a friend in Kent, and I really liked his mom.

After he dropped me off I went inside and straight into the kitchen to see about dinner. I was draining the pasta when Rose walked in.

"Enjoy your day with Farmer John?" She plunked herself down on the counter.

"It was fun, I learned a lot." I fixed my pasta in a bowl and sat down at the breakfast bar. "They have almost a hundred horses, and his mom set one aside just for me to use! Thalia is so sweet and so lovely." I quickly made my way through my pasta.

"I am glad you had fun. Just be careful okay? That guy gives me a bad vibe sometimes." Rose looked genuinely concerned.

"I'll be careful Rose. Don't worry; I am never really alone with him."

"That makes me feel a little better. Just stay safe little sister, our family wouldn't be the same without you." She gave me a one armed hug before excusing herself.

"Oh wait! Rose!" She turned around. "Kent invited us all to his family's big costume party on Halloween."

That had her grinning. "Well it looks like you are waking up early little sister." She had a sinister grin, "We have to go costume shopping!" With a cackle, she left.

I groaned and finished my dinner. After cleaning up the dishes I made my way up to my room. Exhausted, I stripped down and changed into my pajamas. I was about to flop onto the bed and pass out when my phone rang.

I answered it without even opening my eyes, "Hello?"

"Hello darlin'." Jasper!

I shot straight up; it was the first time he had been able to call. "Jasper, I am so glad you finally called!"

"I know Bella, I am sorry it has taken so long. We were tailing a couple of newborns and didn't want to give away our position."

"But you are staying safe?" I was beyond worried about him.

"Of course I am little one, I promised I'd come home to you. How have you been?" Just hearing his voice made my heart soar.

"I'm okay, I have been helping Esme decorate. We saved some pumpkins for you guys if you make it home in time." I tried not to sound desperate.

"It doesn't look like it Bella, I am so sorry." He really did sound upset.

"I understand. I also am learning how to ride a horse!"

"Is that Kent boy teaching you?" I thought I caught the faintest of growls in his voice.

"Yes he is, Jasper. He has been very nice." I hoped he wouldn't think I was in any way attracted to Kent.

He sighed, "Just be careful Bella."

"I will, I promise."

"I have to go Bella, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Jasper."

"Goodnight darlin'."

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**AN: As always, I welcome your opinions and questions. Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry it took so long to update. I will try and get a new chapter out every week. I have had a lot of requests for a J-pov. There won't be one in this actual story. But, I have been toying with the idea of a few one shot scenes that can be read as a companion to this fic. Remember, I own none of this... And thank you LetsJustDance for being such an awesome beta!**

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**Chapter 13:**

I woke up bright and early the next day, to Rose jumping on my bed. "Wake up!"

"Gah!" I tumbled out of bed and hit the floor with a thump.

She laughed and helped me up.

"What the hell Rose?" I rubbed my shoulder where I had hit the floor.

"We have a lot to do today, and not a lot of time before I have to turn you back over to the Creep."

"Rose, I love you, but it is six o'clock in the morning. It won't take us that long to find costumes for this party. And Kent is not a Creep." I laid back down in bed.

"Bella, I can always go and get a bucket of ice water." She smirked evilly. I grabbed for her arm, "No! I'm up!"

Rose just smiled in a smug manner, "Go shower."

"Who died and made you Queen of the World?" I asked her saucily as I got out of bed.

"As your older sister, I have the ability to boss you around when I feel it is needed." She stood over me imperiously.

"As your little sister, I have the right to completely ignore you. I am going to have breakfast, then shower." I skipped out of the room.

She followed me out, "Brat."

I smiled at her, "Dictator."

We bickered back and forth all the way to the kitchen. Esme was nowhere to be found, so I opted to make my self some pop tarts. While I ate Rosalie started naming off the costume shops in Billings. I ate my breakfast as slow as possible, just to irritate her.

"Bella, I will force feed you if you don't hurry." She had her hand on her hips, "Don't think I won't do it."

I believed her, and quickly finished my last pop tart.

Retreating to my bedroom I gave serious consideration to going back to bed. The only thing stopping me was the thought of a very cold wake up call. Deciding another hour of sleep wasn't worth the frigid water and moist mattress, I headed for the bathroom. I cranked up the hot water. I took my time, knowing that Rosalie would pounce on me as soon as I got out.

I let my thoughts wander to my phone call with Jasper the night before. I wished that we had more time to talk. Not that I was brave enough to talk to him about what I really wanted to. It seemed a little weird to just spout, "Hey Jasper! Guess what? I am in love with you! Cool Huh?" No, I would have to wait till he came back. Even then I had no idea what I would do.

"Isabella!" Rose barreled into the room.

I shrieked, and toppled over. "Rose!"

"Rinse off and get out!" She barked. "We are leaving in fifteen minutes, so unless you want to go naked, you might want to hurry up and get out."

"You can be such a bitch Rose." I grumbled.

"But you love me anyways." She laughed as she left the room.

"Yeah, yeah." I finished my shower and dried off in record time. I had barely enough time to pull on jeans and a shirt before Rose was throwing my sweater at me and hauling me out the door.

Billings was about an hour away. We spent the whole time discussing potential costumes. Rose apparently had a long standing tradition of dressing as a princess, and goading Emmett into being a prince. This year she wanted to mix it up a bit since we didn't expect the guys to be here. She was going as Guinevere. I laughed at the idea of Emmett dressed as Lancelot.

"I wish he was here, he would love to dress up in a real suit of armor." She smiled at me sadly.

"Emmett and Jasper will be home soon Rose." I smiled at her encouragingly.

"I really hope so." She patted my leg. "So what is going on in your head concerning my brother?"

I looked out the window, "I want to tell him Rose. I just don't know how."

Rose chortled, "Have you ever thought of just kissing him?"

"I wouldn't want to startle him. I know that he has been doing really well dealing with his bloodlust, but I would hate to make him uncomfortable. And that is on top of my worry that he'll reject me." I sighed.

"You are ridiculous. I love you, but you are ridiculous." She and I continued to chat until we pulled up to the huge warehouse that a costume company rented out this time of year.

"Wow, this place is intense." I looked around in awe as we walked through the doors.

Rose dragged me over to the costumes, "Come on! This is one of my favorite holidays! I want to try on some costumes!"

She found what she was looking for almost instantly. It was a lovely shade of minty green that really complimented her pale skin. She loved how authentically Arthurian it looked.

I was not so lucky, we tried on countless costumes. Rose just kept handing me new ones to try on. I flat out refused to put on a few like the naughty nurse or sexy vampire. I thought the latter was a bit gauche. She just laughed.

We were about to give up when a saleslady noticed our plight. She asked us to wait just a moment. At this point I was a little desperate, I just wanted to get something and leave.

When the saleslady came back out and unzipped the garment bag I was stunned. It was a gorgeous dress. It was a Civil War era-looking ball gown.

"This was a custom job, but the buyer backed out at the last minute. I think it is about your size." The elderly lady insisted I try it on. When I did it was a perfect fit. It was a lavish blue. The off the shoulder top hugged my meager curves, the embroidery accenting it perfectly. The skirt was ruffled, a classic look for the time period it was trying to portray.

Rose looked me up and down as I came out of the dressing room. It took her half a second before announcing, "We'll take it."

I let out a happy giggle and clapped. "This is perfect."

Rose hugged me, careful not to muss the dress, "I wish Jasper were here to see you in that. He would be shocked speechless."

"I wish he was too Rose." I wiped the few tears away.

I changed out of the dress and we went to pay for our costumes. Both dresses cost a pretty penny, and I felt a little guilty.

We drove home talking about hair styles and accessories. I felt decidedly feminine. I loved having these talks with Rose because she respected my opinion. I never really considered myself to be a feminine person. But Rose was helping me embrace that side of me, while still retaining who I am. It made me love her even more.

By the time we got home I had to rush through lunch to make it to Kent's on time. Spending the afternoon with him learning to ride proved to be incredibly enjoyable. He was very encouraging, and always helped me get up when I fell off the horse.

I fell into an easy pattern over the next two weeks. I would spend the mornings with Rose, Esme, or Carlisle and my afternoons riding. I had really gotten the hang of it. It was one of the few things that brought me real joy.

My phone calls with Jasper were few and far between. They never lasted long, and were often cut short due to him not wanting to alert any nearby enemies. It was really starting to wear on my heart. I missed my best friend.

* * *

The day of the big Halloween Bash at the Conner Ranch arrived in a hail of rain and thunder. I was thankful that it was an indoor party. I slept in till noon, which was a luxury. Rose had told me that we would probably be up late, and to get as much sleep as I could. It was a welcome change from her usual attitude, which was, "I am bored now. Wake up."

When I finally dragged myself downstairs, I found a sandwich already waiting for me in the fridge. "Bless Esme." I whispered. Obviously I wasn't quiet enough, because I heard her lovely tinkling laugh.

She came into the room, all smiles. "Sleep well dearest?"

Mouth full of sandwich I nodded enthusiastically.

"Good. Rose should be back soon, I sent her to the store to pick up some things so that I can make caramel apples for the party. I do hate showing up empty handed."

"Mom, you are the sweetest, most wonderful person I know." I hugged her. "Thank you for making me a sandwich and for being an awesome mom."

Esme looked a little choked up, "Thank you Bella. You are a wonderful daughter, I am so happy you are a part of our family." She kissed my forehead and started bustling around the kitchen.

Rose came in, laden down with shopping bags. "This should be enough supplies to make apples for an army."

Esme smiled, "Thank you Rose, you are a gem." She started pulling out the ingredients and setting them up on the counter. "You two should go get ready. I told Evelyn that we would be over a little early to help her set up."

We nodded and made our way to our rooms. Rose sent me to shower, while she got herself ready. I took my time once I made it in the shower. It was relaxing. I spent a good hour, just letting it work out all the tension and knots in my body. While I didn't fall quite as often, riding was tough on my body. I loved every minute, but the pain that came later was not as fun.

By the time I had gotten out and dried off it was almost two in the afternoon. Rose had slipped into my room and set out my clothes. There was a blue lace strapless bra and matching underwear. Next to those were some comfy looking sweats. I pulled all of it on, feeling a little silly in the strapless bra and t-shirt. But I figured this would be more comfortable than wearing my dress as I got ready.

I made my way to her room, when I walked in I found Rose looking stunning. Her hair had a few braids in it, and a simple gold circlet on her brow. She looked incredibly regal.

"Rose you look incredible!" I gasped.

"Thank you little sister, want to get started on making you look just as incredible?" She asked with a sweet smile.

"Pssh, you can try. But trust me, you take the cake on most gorgeous."

"You are sweet Bella." She gestured for me to sit on the chair she had in her bathroom. I sat. She dried my hair and put curlers in it. "Now I know you don't like being 'Bella Barbie' if you don't like something, just tell me."

I readily agreed. I didn't mind Rose doing my hair and make up. She made it fun. She applied very little make up, it was just enough to accent my features and bring out the brown and even the green flecks in my eyes. After adding just a touch of color to my lips she inspected her work.

"Perfect." She spun the chair so that I was facing the mirror. I gasped. Rose was an artist. I had never felt so beautiful, this was much better than all the times Alice had forced all that face paint on me.

"Rose you are wonderful!" I jumped up and hugged her.

"You look beautiful little sister." She hugged me back before turning me around and swatting me on the butt, "Go get into your dress, then I will do your hair really quickly."

Despite the fact that Jasper couldn't be here, I was really looking forward to the party. It would be fun to see all the people that I had met out at the Conner Ranch dressed up and having fun. Everyone there was always so nice to me, and willing to help me out even when my questions made me sound a bit like an idiot.

I slipped on the hoop skirt that came with my dress. It wasn't a traditional hoop skirt, it wasn't nearly as wide or stiffly constructed. It had a lot of give, which made it much more comfortable and easier to dance in. I looked over at my dress and called out for Rosalie's help. She answered immediately, and laughed when she realized my predicament.

"Arms up Bella, I will slip this part over your head and then lace up the back." She gently tugged, and adjusted my dress until it was hanging perfectly. She then held up a little pair of matching blue flats.

"Rose, have I ever mentioned how much I love you?" She laughed and helped me slip on the flats.

"This is for you too, Bella." Rose almost looked shy as she handed me a small box. Giving her a curious look I opened it. Inside was a beautiful hand fan. It matched the blue of my dress perfectly. The embroidery was even the same.

"Rose! This is lovely, where did you find it?" I ran my fingers over the intricately done work.

Rose almost looked sheepish, "I made it."

I looked at her incredulously, "You made this? And you trust me with it?" I was shocked.

"Of course I do. Besides, it's not like I have had a lot to do at night while you are sleeping or while you are gone."

"Still… Thank you so much!" I gingerly set it next to my little bag that had my cell phone and other small necessities in it.

"It's not made of glass Bella, you can actually use it. Trust me, it is sturdy." Rose smiled at me.

I threw my arms around her, "You are the best sister ever."

"You are pretty awesome yourself Bells." She laughed, "Now come on, let me get your hair out of these curlers."

It took her about ten minutes to fix my hair. She let the curls hang down my back, loose. She stuck in a small sapphire hairpiece to accent the dress.

"There, my work is done. You look every bit like a classic Southern belle."

I looked in the mirror, and I had to agree with her. After gathering up my fan and hand bag, she and I left the room to check on Esme.

Esme was downstairs. She had on a gorgeous black dress and killer heels.

"Mom, what is your costume supposed to be?" I asked her curiously.

"Oh, here! I will show you!" She reached over to the counter and grabbed a classy black witch's hat. She gently set it on her head. "What do you think girls?"

Rose's reply had me giggling, "That Carlisle is going to tear that off of you when we all get home."

Esme laughed, "You never know. But anyway, you both look stunning. Carlisle will be meeting us at the party in an hour or so. Are you both ready to go?"

"Yes ma'am!" I was terribly excited. I even had a small digital camera tucked into my bag. I wanted to take lots of pictures to show Jasper and Emmett when they got back.

"Good, I pulled the car as close to the front door as I could, wrap a sheet around your dresses to keep them from getting wet."

We did as she instructed and soon we were on our way. The drive didn't take long at all. When we arrived there were already several cars parked in the yard. Rose insisted that I hurry inside, and that she would help Esme with the food she'd prepared.

I hurried inside and was astounded by what I found. It seemed like overnight the house had been turned into a Halloween wonderland. There were lights and decorations, and tables of food tucked here and there. I quickly found Evelyn who took me under her wing. She spent quite some time introducing me to people from all over the state.

About an hour or two after we arrived the party was in full swing. I hadn't found Kent yet, I assumed he was distracted by some girl. I had made it perfectly clear that I was uninterested in him. For the most part he respected my wishes, for which I was very grateful.

I had just finished dancing with one of the older stable workers when I looked to the front door. Someone had apparently caused a bit of a stir.

I caught a glint of what looked like chainmail, and squinted to see better. That couldn't be right, that mountain of a man looked just like Emmett. But then I saw him, standing a little off to the side. He sent an amused smirk at the currently reuniting Emmett and Rose. He was wearing a grey uniform, he even had a sword attached at his hip.

Almost as if he could sense my eyes on him, he started scanning the crowd. I felt my breath catch as his eyes finally found mine. I saw him mouth something that looked distinctly like, "Bella."

"Jasper."

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**AN: Please everyone, review. **

**Also, if you are a Harry Potter fan, check out my profile for a one shot I did. Let me know what you think.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Rose and Bella's costumes can be found on my profile. The song in this chapter is "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" by Toby Keith. Oldie, but a goodie. Believe it or not, I rarely listen to country music. Though it will play a dominant role throughout this entire story. Anyways, enjoy, and remember Stephanie Meyer owns this. Not Me. :(**

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**Chapter 14: Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me**

My heart started pounding, and my feet started moving of their own volition. It was as if Jasper and I were magnets. He started towards me slowly, and before we knew it we were racing towards each other.

When he was a hairsbreadth away he held open his arms, I pushed my face into his chest.

"Bella." He buried his face in my hair, I could feel him smelling me, reaffirming that I was here, in front of him. He was almost shaking, which was a step up from the state I was in. I was shaking uncontrollably.

"Jasper, you're safe." I tightened my grip on him, squeezing as tight as my human body would allow.

"I made a promise didn't I?" He exhaled, and gave me another once over, "Bella, you look…"

I shifted a little awkwardly, "Do you not like it? Rosalie said yo-" He cut me off by putting his finger to my lips, I blushed.

"Bella, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on." He tucked a stray curl behind my ear. "Dance with me?"

I nodded, out of the corner of my eye I saw Rose talking to the DJ. I hoped she wasn't up to anything. When I heard an old country song start playing I couldn't help but smile. She was giving me a way to tell Jasper how I really feel.

_I got a funny feeling  
The moment that your lips touched mine  
Something shot right through me  
My heart skipped a beat in time_

He pulled me over to the dance floor where there were quite a few couples dancing. I saw none of them. All I could see was Jasper. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his arms circled my waist and he pulled me close. I heard him singly softly.

_There's a different feel about you tonight  
It's got me thinkin' lots of crazy things  
I even think I saw a flash of light  
It felt like electricity_

I had my face buried in his neck, and I gently pressed a kiss to his throat. I felt him draw a quick breath. I felt his grip on my waist tighten as he continued to sing.

_You shouldn't kiss me like this  
Unless you mean it like that  
Cause I'll just close my eyes  
And I won't know where I'm at  
We'll get lost on this dance floor  
Spinnin' around  
And around  
And around  
And around_

Mustering up my courage I tilted my head up and kissed his jaw, just shy of his lips. I wanted to give him space to say no.

They're all watchin' us now  
They think we're falling in love  
They'd never believe we're just friends  
When you kiss me like this  
I think you mean it like that  
If you do baby kiss me again

Everybody swears we make the perfect pair  
But dancing is as far as it goes  
Girl you've never moved me quite  
The way you moved me tonight  
I just wanted you to know  
I just wanted you to know

I placed a few more chaste kisses on his jaw. I got close to, but intentionally avoided his lips. He never stopped me, he just kept looking into my eyes and whispering the words of the song.

You shouldn't kiss me like this  
Unless you mean it like that  
Cause I'll just close my eyes  
And I won't know where I'm at  
And We'll get lost on this dance floor  
Spinnin' around  
And around  
And around  
And around

They're all watchin' us now  
They think we're falling in love  
They'd never believe we're just friends  
When you kiss me like this  
I think you mean it like that  
If you do baby kiss me again  
Kiss me again

The song ended, he didn't loosen his grip, "Bella?"

My voice was shaky, but I stood my ground. It was now or never, "Yes?"

"Kiss me again." Jasper said it so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.

I leaned up to kiss him again, as I had done before. But Jasper was ready this time. He caught my lips with his. I had kissed a vampire before, but nothing could prepare me for the flash of heat that sparked between us. It felt like it had ignited a wildfire that was raging through my body. The only thing I knew was Jasper's cold, solid lips moving against mine. It was the single most amazing thing I had felt in my life.

I had to pull away to breathe, while I caught my breath I looked up at Jasper. He was looking down at me with the most open expression I had ever seen on his face.

"Bella, I have wanted that for a very long time." He rested his forehead against mine.

I smiled at him, "Why did you keep me waiting Major?"

His eyes darkened perceptibly, "I didn't want to rush you darlin'. I'm glad you recognize the uniform."

"I did some research on clothing from that time period." I said shyly.

He looked me over again, "It shows." His eyes had an appreciative gleam in them.

I laid my head on his chest, we were dancing again. I hardly even registered the movement. "I missed you so much Jasper."

"I know, I missed you too." He held me as close to him as my outfit would allow. "You look so beautiful."

I blushed, "You don't look so bad yourself handsome." I sounded bolder than I felt. But at that moment, I was on top of the world. He hadn't pushed me away in disgust and naïve as I was, even I could see the desire written across his features.

"Bella…" Jasper suddenly looked confused.

The look on his face had me panicking, was I wrong?

He immediately sensed my distress, "Bella, darlin' calm down. I was only going to ask how you wanted to proceed from here. This is all new territory for me. I was not exactly in charge in my last relationship, so I am not sure what to do."

I smiled at him, "We'll take it a day at a time. We have no need to rush."

His face lit up with a smile that stole my breath, "Indeed we do little one. We have eternity."

We spent the next hour or so just dancing and talking. Occasionally Jasper would lean down and kiss me, and every kiss gave me the same smoldering feeling that the first one did. It was pure bliss.

When I was finally too tired to keep dancing, we meandered off to the side. Jasper excused himself to go talk to Carlisle. Rose sauntered up to me, looking incredibly pleased with herself.

"Well?" I could almost feel the satisfaction rolling off of her.

"Well what?" I decided to be deliberately irritating.

"Bella I will beat it out of you!" Rose started to drag me into a dark corner.

"Gah! Okay! I kissed him! Happy Now?"

She arched an eyebrow, "I saw you kiss him little sister, how was it?"

I was really hoping that my eyes didn't glaze over when I thought of Jasper's kisses, "Wonderful."

Rose laughed, "I bet. I told you that you had nothing to worry about. Now do you see why you should listen to me?" She had the smug look on her face again.

"Yeah, yeah." I laughed.

Out of habit, I reached into my little bag to check my cell phone. I had several missed text messages, even a missed phone call. All of them were from my mystery unknown caller. I opened the first text.

_Bella, whatever you do, don't-_

I couldn't read the rest, because my phone battery died at that moment. Sighing, I stuck it back in my purse. Rose and I continued to chat for a few more minutes, before she decided to track down Emmett. I sat in the corner, resting.

"Bella!" Kent came rushing up to me. He was wearing what looked to me to be a highwaymen's outfit.

"Hello Kent, you look ni-"

"No time for that! Bella, Thalia got spooked by the storm and hurt herself. She won't stay calm long enough for us to sedate her. I think you might have better luck." He looked panicked.

I was up in a flash, "Let me tell my family."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me away, "No time! She is bleeding pretty badly!"

Panicked, I followed him. We rushed through the pouring rain, within seconds I was completely soaked. I didn't care at that moment; I just wanted to make sure that my horse was okay.

When we got to the stable, it was empty. I looked around confused, "Kent where is everyone?"

I turned around to find him grinning at me in a way that had the hair on the back of my neck standing up.

"There isn't anyone else here but you and me."

"What is the meaning of this Kent?" I backed away slowly. I wanted to stall him long enough to give my family time to find me.

He laughed, and the sound put me on edge, "You just had to turn me down, didn't you? No woman turns me down. I always get what I want." He grabbed my arm and threw me down on the floor.

"Kent, please, don't do this!" I was panicking, I tried crawling away. He kicked me in the gut. I felt a rib crack, and I let out a scream.

"Scream all you want pretty Bella, the party is in full swing and the storm will drown you out." He kicked me again, this time in the leg. He reached down and yanked at my skirt, it ripped. I let out another yelp, and renewed my struggles to get away.

I tried to stand up, but every time I struggled he would kick me again. "Jasper!" I screamed, praying he could hear me.

"Your pretty boy isn't coming to your rescue." He laughed and viciously kicked me in the ribs again. I started having a hard time breathing. Kent ripped off the rest of my dress, and I let out a horrified scream and tried in vain to pull away. I swung at him, trying to push him off of me, but he twisted my arm. I heard something snap.

My body hurt all over, and I started to fade out of consciousness. The last thing I saw was Kent leaning down and unzipping his pants.

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**AN: I know. The next chapter is almost done. Review and I will finish it faster!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Traumatized**

"Bella? Bella! Look at me! Oh god, no!" The voice above me sounded panicked.

"Carlisle, what do we do?" The angelic voice sounded pained, I wanted to reach out to him.

"Calm down Jasper, she is alive. We need to get her to the hospital." Carlisle? Carlisle! Dad!

I struggled to regain consciousness, "Jas-?" Ow. My throat hurt, and suddenly it felt like I had been trampled by an elephant.

Suddenly Jasper was at my side, "Bella who did this to you?"

I tried to tell him, but the pain was too much. I passed out.

My eyelids felt incredibly heavy. But the first thing that I noticed was a distinct lack of pain. "Am I dead?" My voice sounded a bit like a croaking frog.

"No little sister, you aren't dead." Rose! She sounded heartbroken.

"Rose? What happened? Where am I?" I finally managed to get my eyes open, but the lights around me were so bright that it took me a moment to adjust.

Rose held up a cup with a straw in it to my mouth, and I gratefully took a sip. "Bella, do you remember last night?" She asked me quietly.

"I remember dancing, and Jasper. Then I…" It flooded back to me, the heart rate monitor that I was attached to started going crazy. "I was raped!"

Rose called out for Carlisle. He came running in, "Bella, you need to calm down so that I don't have to sedate you again." My breathing was ragged. I started to shake uncontrollably. After a moment, I managed to get myself under control. "Bella, there is a lady police officer who needs to speak with you. Can you handle that?"

I nodded at Carlisle. "Rose? Will you come lay down with me?" Rose looked to Carlisle, who nodded his consent. She gently scooted me over, and wrapped her arms around me. Though being close to Rose helped, I still felt on edge, like something important was not making it through the drug induced haze.

The police officer walked in, "Bella? Hi, my name is Officer Bennett, but you can call me Sam. Can I talk to you about what happened?" I nodded. "Do you know who did this to you?"

I nodded, "Kent Conner."

The police officer noted that, "How did you come to be out in the barn?"

I told her everything. I didn't even realize that I had started crying until I felt Rose wiping away my tears. I told her that he had lured me out there by pretending my horse was injured. When I got to the part where Kent broke my arm, I looked down, noticing the cast for the first time. "The next thing I know I was here."

The officer nodded and thanked me, "You are a strong young lady Bella Cullen. Don't worry, he won't get away with this."

Carlisle walked over to the bed, "Bella, while you were unconscious, we took care of some of the more taxing procedures." He gestured down my body, "But I do need you to take these." He handed me two little pills in a cup.

"What are they?" I took the cup and held it in my hand.

"Bella, when they did the rape-kit they found semen. These will ensure that you don't get pregnant." He smiled at me sadly.

I popped the pills into my mouth and took a drink to wash them down.

"Bella?" Esme hurried into the room, "Oh baby, thank goodness you are alright!" She approached me slowly and gently hugged me.

"Mom." I cried and held onto her for dear life.

After I cried myself out, I realized what I had forgotten thanks to the medication. "Jasper! Where is he?"

Rose looked at me a little nervously, "Bella, Jasper is fine. But he went a little crazy when we found you. Emmett and a friend of Jasper's are trying to keep him from slaughtering the boy who did this to you. We wanted to bring him here, but he isn't in control right now."

I struggled to sit up, gasping as the pain in my ribs flared up. "I need to see him!" Carlisle moved to put his hand on my shoulder and I flinched, he immediately retracted his hand.

"I'm sorry Bella, I had forgotten that some women don't like to be touched after… But really, you can't leave. Your body took quite a beating. You are lucky to be alive."

"I don't care, I need to get to him." I tried in vain to sit up, but one injured human versus three vampires, it was a quick battle.

Rose's phone buzzed, she looked down at it and frowned. She tilted the phone towards me so that I could read it.

_Show this to the little one: Querida, I almost have him under control. Stay in bed. We will be there in just a few minutes. _

Surprisingly, this calmed me like nothing else could. My mystery person was bringing me Jasper. I relaxed back onto the bed, and Esme and Rose released their vice-like grips.

"Who was that from Bella?" Esme asked, she must have read over my shoulder.

"I don't know. Someone has been sending me texts for awhile now. They are always random. All I know is that it is someone who knows about out family." I wriggled in the bed, attempting to get comfortable.

"Why didn't you tell someone?" Carlisle asked, his voice held a hint of reprimand.

"Honestly? I forgot." Rose stood up to help me get my pillows situated.

Esme looked at me, concerned, "Will you be alright if I leave to go check on a few things honey?" She stroked my hair.

"Yeah Mom, I'll be okay." She kissed my forehead and walked out. Carlisle told us he'd be right back, and escorted her out.

Rose looked at me sadly, "I'm so sorry that this happened to you. We didn't realize you were gone until it was too late. Jasper was frantic. Kent has run off, and it has taken the combined forces of Emmett and two of Jasper's old army buddies to keep him from tracking him and killing him. I am so sorry that we didn't get to you on time."

I looked up at Rose, "It's not your fault Rose, it is mine. I should have known better than to go off alone with him. I was just so worried… Is my horse okay?" I felt dirty. I could tell someone had bathed me, but my skin was crawling. I started having flashes of Kent over me. I forced them away, so that I wouldn't throw up all over Rose.

"Thalia is fine. All the horses got a little spooked when Jasper lost control, but we managed to get him out of there. He wasn't sure if he had enough control to be here, but at the same time he has been desperate to see you." Rose helped me get another drink.

"That's because we weren't sure if you were going to live." I gasped when I saw him, he certainly looked worse for wear. They probably made him change before he got here, but his clothes still looked dirty and disheveled.

"Jasper!" He started towards me but stopped short. I should have realized he wouldn't want me now that I was dirty.

He must have picked up on my self-loathing because he stepped closer, "Bella stop it. I stopped because Carlisle warned me you might panic if I touched you. Trust me darlin', all I want to do is scoop you up and never let you go."

I sobbed a little and held open my arms, careful not to jar my injured ribs. Jasper wrapped himself around me. Rose ducked out to give us some privacy. Jasper's cool body lying next to mine, helped ease some of the ache. He just held me, kissing my forehead and my hair.

"It's okay darlin'. I will never let anything hurt you again. I will rip that bastard to shreds when I find him."

I shivered in fear at the thought of Kent, "No Jasper. You need to let the police get him."

He looked down at me, almost pleadingly, "Bella, he deserves to die."

I shook my head, "That isn't up for us to decide. When the police find him, they will put him away for what he did."

Jasper looked at me like I was a crazy person. I tucked my head under his chin, "How long am I going to be here?"

"A week or so, according to Carlisle." He sighed, and started stroking my hair, before letting out a dark little chuckle. "It'll give us time to clear up the woods around the house."

"Why do they need to be cleared?" I yawned.

"Because I lost my temper." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to uproot a small section of forest in the middle of a tantrum.

"Oh."

"Sleep little one, it will help you heal faster." He kissed my forehead gently, and then my lips when I looked up at him.

"Will you stay?" I asked, scared of being alone.

"Nothing could make me leave." He kissed my lips gently. My eyes fluttered closed as he wrapped me in a blanket.

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A week and a half later, I was released from the hospital.

"Now remember darlin' they won't hurt you." Jasper said for what felt like the thousandth time.

His friends Peter and Charlotte were still here. I was really excited to meet them. I knew it would be hard, especially meeting Peter. So far Jasper was the only man who was able to touch me without me freaking out. I had only recently really been okay with any other man being in the same room.

I had spent a lot of this past week talking with a counselor and talking to Rose. I still had serious bouts of self-loathing, but I was working on it. I was determined to not be a victim. The police were working several leads, but had yet to locate Kent.

I was still amazed by what had happened a few days earlier.

_Flashback_

The door to my room creaked open, Rose's head snapped up instantly with a guarded look on her face.

"Bella?" It was Evelyn. I started to hyperventilate a little. She looked down, "Bella I am so sorry! I had no idea that my son was capable of such horrible things." She started crying.

When I realized she wasn't going to attack me for turning her son in, I relaxed. "It isn't your fault Evelyn." I gestured to the seat by my bed.

She sat defeated, gone was the peaceful woman whose very presence calmed even the trickiest of horses. This woman was heartbroken. She sobbed out, "I should have known that my son was a monster. There were whispers of course, when Jade went missing all those months ago. But I never thought that my baby was capable of hurting someone." She took a few deep breaths, "Bella, I will never forgive myself for what he did to you."

I patted her hand, "Evelyn, you did nothing wrong." I truly placed no blame at the feet of this woman whose only crime was to be blind to her son's faults.

"Bella, they found a girl matching Jade's description buried out in one of the pastures. My son is a killer. I am just thankful that you were found before he could kill you. I have grown so very fond of you." She looked crushed.

"I don't hold you responsible, only Kent. Nothing he did affects our friendship." I smiled at her encouragingly.

"You are a strong girl Bella." She grasped my hand and excused herself.

_End Flashback_

I had since learned that Evelyn had given me a tremendous gift. She signed Thalia and all of her gear, over to me. She would be cared for until I could do it myself. She was even having her moved to a different stable that didn't have such horrible memories attached to it. I planned on going to visit Thalia as soon as I was able.

"Jasper, I am not frightened. You are more nervous than I am!" I laughed at him as we walked into the house. It was good to be home.

"Which is silly, because we would never hurt your Bella." I looked up to see two vampires standing in the central room. One was a tall man, who looked freakishly a lot like Jasper. I assumed that this was Peter. The other was a woman a few inches shorter than me. She had long curly blonde hair and killer dimples. She was gorgeous, this had to be Charlotte.

Peter spoke up again, "Hello Querida. It is nice to finally meet you." Only one person had ever called me that before.

"You are my mystery man!" I gasped.

Peter laughed, "I was only looking out for my future little sister. Which reminds me, I have a gift for you." He held out a little device with a small cord attached. "It is a portable cell phone charger so that next time you get my warnings in time."

My eyes filled with tears, "Thank you…"

"No tears honey, we are just glad you are safe now." Charlotte crossed the room and held out her arms. "Can I hug you hun?" I nodded and she gently squeezed me before turning me loose.

"I'll save my hug for later." Peter smiled at me, and I knew then and there that I was going to love these two vampires as much as I loved the rest of my family.

"How long are you goin' to be stayin' brother?" Jasper asked, walking over to Peter to greet him with a man-hug.

"I have a feelin' that it's going to be awhile." He winked at me. I had a feeling Peter was going to be just as bad as Emmett.

"Bella honey, how about I help you to your room? I bet I can even be persuaded to tell you a few stories about the Major here that'll make you laugh. It'll give the boys time to catch up."

Despite being unwilling to leave Jasper, I nodded. Jasper came and gave me a quick kiss. I sighed, and retreated to my room with Charlotte.

"Remember Char, it's not nice to play with your food." Peter's voice rang out. Oh yeah, having Jasper's friends around was certainly going to keep things interesting.

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**AN: Please no violence against the author! I hope you at least enjoyed the end of this one. It may be a week or so before the next chapter. Thanks to my beta LetsJustDance.**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Hey everyone! I am sooo sorry that it has been so long since I have updated. I plan to rectify this immediately. However I am going to be working on another project. So many of you have asked for Jasper's PoV, that I have decided to grant your request. You can find it on my profile, it is called Finding Salvation.**

**I have really hit a roadblock with Bella, but Jasper has been right there, telling me his side of the story. So I will acquiesce. Hopefully while working with him, Bella will give me the jolt I need to continue with her.**

**I hope you all enjoy my work. And, thank my brother. He has pestered me into continuing.**


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